Amartya Sen, a Nobel laureate and renowed educationist has been appointed as the first chancellor of the proposed Nalanda University (NU). He is also the chairman of the NU governing body.
According to his latest announcements, the first two schools on ecology & environment and historical studies will start in 2014. After the approval of its architectural design, the construction work and appointment of faculty members will start simultaneously. Also, there will be seven postgraduate schools in the university. Two more schools of Information & Technology and Economics & Management will come up.
By January 2013, the architectural design agency will be selected through global competition. Eminent faculties like Sugata Bose of Harvard University will be appointed. Some other senior positions including, dean, professor and associate professors, would be created and teachers would come from different parts of the world. The formula for the faculty would be made as per the standard of universities in SAARC nations.
As per Planning Commission deputy chairman Montek Singh Ahluwalia, the university would be funded by the central government. Union ministry of finance was in the process of preparing a detailed project for the university as part of the 12th five-year plan. The private endowment is also being encouraged. The next meeting of the board will be held on February 13, 2013, at Rajgir. In November, 2012, the NMC, headed by Montek Singh Ahluwalia, will meet. All the members of the board, except Wang Gungwu of Singapore and Prapod Assavavirulhakarn of Thailand, attended the meeting which discussed in detail the various issues related to the NU.
