Patna: The education department has finally started the process of launching four new schools at Aryabhatta Knowledge University (AKU).

All the four schools - Patliputra School of Economics, Centre for Geographical Studies, Centre For River Studies, and Centre for Journalism and Mass Communication - are supposed to function as autonomous bodies, deciding their own course content and even student intake.

The education department has issued an advertisement for appointment of director for the journalism school, and advertisements for appointments to the three other schools are in the pipeline within a week.

Sushil Kumar, director in-charge, higher education, said: "The education department has issued advertisement for appointment of director at the Centre for Journalism and Mass Communication, and within a week we will issue advertisement for appointments at the three other schools too."

The directors for all four schools will be selected through search committee recommendations. There will be a separate search committee for each school.

As per the advertisement for the journalism school director, a candidate having PhD in journalism and 10 years' teaching experience in a journalism school can apply.

Plans to set up the four courses were pending for years.

Chief minister Nitish Kumar had on several occasions earlier asked the AKU administration to start the process for launching the Patliputra School of Economics on the lines of the Delhi School of Economics, and the Centre for River Studies to study the river systems of Bihar where large parts of the state face floods every year.

Sources said the river studies course syllabus is being prepared by teachers from IIT-Kanpur, IIT-Patna, NIT-Patna and experts from some foreign universities.

For Patliputra School of Economics too, the course material has been prepared by experts including those from Delhi School of Economics.

"The delay in opening the schools was mainly due to experts and education department officials not giving their nod for the detailed project report (DPR) of these schools," a senior AKU official said under cover of anonymity.