Indore: Devi Ahilya Vishwavidyalaya (DAVV), which submitted fresh proposals worth Rs 72 crore for upgrading 14 teaching departments as centres of excellence (CoE) under a World Bank project are not being considered because the DHE was not serious about entertaining the proposals in the first place.
A senior officer of Department of Higher Education (DHE) confirmed that the proposals sent by DAVV for CoE are not under consideration. “We had approved proposals for CoE last year. Whatever proposals came after that are not under consideration,” said a senior ranked official wishing anonymity. Recently, DAVV vice-chancellor Prof Renu Jain too had expressed her apprehensive that DAVV's proposals were unlikely to be accepted.
“We did a lot of correspondence with DHE on CoE issue but to no avail,” she told reporters.
DAVV had applied for up-gradation of eight of its teaching department as centres of excellence under Madhya Pradesh Higher Education Quality Improvement Project of World Bank. The Grade A+ accreditation university was expecting approval to all eight proposals but merely two were accepted.
On the other hand, all seven proposals of Jiwaji University (Gwalior) and six of Barkatullah University (Bhopal) were approved by the department. The DAVV got merely Rs 1.8 crore whereas Jiwaji University and Barkatullah University were granted Rs 16.44 crore and Rs 10.96 crore respectively for setting up Centres of Excellence.
The DAVV had accused DHE of step-motherly treatment. When news reports about this were published, DHE went on backfoot and asked DAVV to send proposals for all departments barring those offering self-financing courses.
DAVV had then sent fresh proposals for 14 departments seeking Rs 72 crore. But that call of proposals by DHE was a hoax.
