The Aryabhatta Knowledge University (AKU), which provides affiliation to technical institutions in Bihar, celebrated its seventh foundation day on Monday.
In seven years, however, the institution hasn't been able to shift to its permanent campus in Mithapur because of construction work still on at the site. The AKU is running from Chanakya National Law University (CNLU) campus in Mithapur and has shifted four times in temporary campuses in the past seven years.
Since the college was running from a rented flat, the foundation stone was laid only in 2015. Even after two years, the varsity is yet to launch two of the courses which chief minister Nitish Kumar had announced in 2015.
Nitish, while laying the foundation stone of the university in August 2015, had announced to set up Patliputra School of Economics and Centres for River Studies.
Education minister Ashok Choudhary attended Monday's function as chief guest and spoke about the two courses but didn't give any timeframe on when the two courses will be launched.
"The Patliputra School of Economics and Centres for River Studies will cater to the needs of students as the two courses have huge potential," he said. Sources said the school of river system studies will be of great help to Bihar where large parts witness flood every year. The school will study the river system.
According to sources, the delay in launching the courses is because of lack of coordination between the varsity and the education department.
A senior officer at AKU said: "The delay has been because of non-approval of the detailed project report and finalising the courses on the education department's end. The government has rejected the detailed project report prepared by the varsity several times."
Sources said a team of officers from Aryabhatta Knowledge University, headed by vice-chancellor S.P. Singh, made a presentation before Nitish in January on three new branches proposed for launch in the coming academic session.
The three proposed centres are for river studies, Patliputra School of Economics (PSE) and school of mass communication and journalism.
AKU pro-VC, S.M. Karim said: "The varsity has prepared a detailed project report, which has been approved by the varsity and the education department. We are planning to launch the courses in the next academic session starting this July."
Nitish had established the AKU in 2010 as one of its dream projects. It started functioning from one of the rooms of the flat of its former vice-cha-ncellor S.N. Guha at Rajkis-hori Complex in Kankerbagh.
The chief minister had envisioned that the institution would conduct research on various issues, but the varsity has been conducting only routine jobs. He had expressed disappointment with the functioning of the university, which is concentrating only on conducting examinations and evaluation of test papers of institutes affiliated to the AKU.
