MAHE plans jewellery design centre

The Manipal Academy of Higher Education (MAHE) will set up a state-of-the-art Institute of Jewellery Design and Management.

The institute will be the first of its kind in the country offering degree and diploma courses in jewellery design and management, business administration and jewellery design and manufacture, research, training and consultancy, H S Ballal, vice-chancellor, MAHE, announced at Manipal near here on Tuesday.

He told reporters that new courses to be started by MAHE include BE in biotechnology, BSc and MSc course in biotechnology, M Phil in psychiatric social work, MSc in clinical embryology, industry-specific PG courses in engineering, MTech in control system and PG diploma in dietetics.

MAHE international linkages with various universities like Milwaukee School of Engineering, Andrews University, Illinois Institute of Technology, Ohio University, Michigan Technological University in USA, Deakin University in Australia, Hochschule University of Breman, Germany, and Kathmandu University in Nepal, negotiations are on to establish academic linkages with American University of Antigua and University of Alabama in USA, Queensland University and Flinders University in Australia and Lancaster University and University of Dublin in United Kingdom. MAHE has established branch campuses in Melaka, Dubai and Oman and a branch campus in Sri Lanka is in the pipeline.

It has launched a programme to create an endowment of Rs 300 crore "" Rs 100 crore for treating poor patients in its hospitals, Rs 100 crore for promoting research and Rs 100 crore towards scholarships to deserving merit students.

The first convocation since MAHE being declared a deemed university will be held on March 11 at Manipal and Rajagopala Chidambaram, principal scientific adviser to the Government of India, will be the chief guest.

When asked about the recommendation of the Medical Council of India to derecognise Kasturba Medical Colleges at Manipal and Mangalore, he said the matter is before the health ministry which will resolve the issue soon.

"In fact the MCI had recommended it way back in 2001 but as per the website of the Health Ministry KMC is recognised. But it was only this year that students were not allowed to write the US Medical Licensing Exam for this reason. The reason given by MCI is that the intake of NRI students was more than the stipulated 15 per cent and it was not based on infrastructure or faculty. MAHE admits 33 per cent NRI students. But there is unequal distribution of NRI students because Mangalore KMC takes only 5 per cent NRI students. It is really contradictory. On the one hand the government wants to promote higher education abroad and on the other hand it does not want more NRI students," he said.

The recommendation was based on the Unnikrishnan judgement which does not cover universities, he added. The MCI is awaiting a letter from the Health Ministry which has promised to send it soon, he added.