SOUTH ASIAN UNIVERSITY - INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS
News: South
Asian University students demand more scholarships, time to complete Ph.Ds
What's in the news?
● The
prestigious South Asian University (SAU) is witnessing widespread student
unrest and dissatisfaction over issues related to scholarships, fee-waiver and
additional time for completing Ph.Ds after the COVID-19 pandemic-induced
delays.
● Students
have been on a warpath with the varsity administration over these and other
issues with some expelled, rusticated or suspended.
Key takeaways:
● The
SAU, an international university which was supposed to be a dream academic collaboration of South Asian Association for
Regional Co-operation (SAARC) nations, was established by the member-nations in
2010.
● It
offers Ph.D and Masters programmes
and attracts students from all member-nations and its degrees are recognised by
all the eight SAARC countries.
Key features of South Asian University:
● The
South Asian University was an academic collaboration of SAARC nations such as Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India,
Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka.
● India, as the host
and the largest country in the SAARC group, bore the entire capital cost for
setting up the university, and also pays
50% of the operational costs.
● SAU
attracts students predominantly from all the eight SAARC countries, although students from other continents also attend.
● There
is a country quota system for
admission of students. Every year SAU conducts admission tests at multiple
centers in all the eight countries.
● The
degrees of the university are recognized by all the member nations of the SAARC
according to an inter-governmental agreement signed by the foreign ministers of
the eight-member states.
SAARC:
● South
Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) is the regional intergovernmental organization and geopolitical union of
states in South Asia.
● SAARC,
as an organization, reflects the South Asian identity of the countries,
historically and contemporarily. It is a naturally made geographical identity.
Equally, there is a cultural, linguistic, religious, and culinary affinity that
defines South Asia.
● SAARC
was established with the signing of the SAARC
Charter in Dhaka in 1985.
● Its
secretariat is in Kathmandu, Nepal.
Objectives:
● To
promote the welfare of the people of South Asia and to improve their quality of
life, and to accelerate economic growth, territorial integrity, mutual trust
and benefit etc.
Members:
● Afghanistan
(joined in 2005), Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan, and Sri
Lanka.