It has been more than a year since the South Asian University (SAU) came into existence with a vision of providing world-class education in the region. But the institution has bogged down in controversies, “facilities insufficient at par with an international university” as well as disagreement between faculty members and administration despite its high-sounding vision.

Recently, most faculty members jointly refused to sign a contract paper citing its “vagueness”. The employees, who formed the South Asian University Faculty Association to raise their grievances collectively, have threatened to go on a strike if their demands are not addressed.

“We have been given five-year appointment including one year of probation. But there are no rules how a faculty member will be relieved of duty or promoted,” a knowledgeable source said.

“SAU is a very good concept and significant for the region in the long run. How does such a university deemed to provide world-class education not have complete rules pertaining to faculty members?” the source wondered.

The faculty members strongly raised this matter with the president of the university, GK Chadha, on Monday along with nearly two dozen other issues.

Talking to the Post, Chadha said a committee will be formed to decide the method, objective, criteria and model for promotion and other issues raised by the employees.

But the problem does not end here. The library of SAU lacks enough books and electronic journals. For instance, most recently the “dissertation of second-year students in Masters of Economics was nearly affected due to the lack of journals in the library”.

“President of the university even told the students that they need not do the dissertation when they approached him with the problem. It was the pressure from faculty members that compelled the administration to buy electronic journals from J-STOR,” the source said.

Chadha, however, claimed several plans to upgrade the university

like expansion of the library are in pipeline.

“SAU is a very young university. It takes time to bring all things on track. We will soon expand our library in a very big way,” he said.

As buildings for the SAU are under construction in Maidan Gadhi, New Delhi, the university is now mostly based on Akbar Bhawan—one of the buildings from which the Indian Ministry of External Affairs is operating. However, computer science classes and a part of the administration and hostel are based on the premises of the old campus of Jawaharlal Nehru University.

Most of the students are provided with accommodation in Centaur Hotel—a luxury hotel near Indira Gandhi International Airport. The students have complained of disturbances in study due to events such as marriage ceremony that take place frequently in the hotel.

“I am personally ashamed to keep them in a hotel. We are trying our best to transfer them to Akbar Bhawan as soon as possible,” said Chadha.

However, students and a professor from Nepal seemed quite hopeful about the future of the university though it is facing some difficulties now. “The university is just one year old. It takes a lot of time and strength to put things in place. The university has a great future and importance in the region,” one of them said.

A critic, however, argued it was not wise of Saarc nations to start a much-hyped university like SAU without essential infrastructure in place.

Prior to this, critics have also questioned the quality of education after 20 out of 25 students failed in the first semester exams of Masters in Computer Applications last year.

The university, sponsored by the eight member states of Saarc, started its first academic session in August 2010 with two post-graduate programmes, one each in Economics and Computer Sciences. Four additional post-graduate programmes in Law, Sociology, International Relations and Biotechnology commenced from July 2011.

source: The Kathmandu Post, 15 Nov 2011