Central University of Rajasthan, Ajmer

During the Eleventh Five- Year Plan, there was a proposal put forward for the created of several more central universities, to tackle the shortage of quality higher education. It would also lessen the financial burden which was being created thanks to the burgeoning of private education. The proposal was then accepted and the decision was taken for the creation of twelve more such central universities, all in different states. These new central universities would come up in the states of – Bihar, Gujarat, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Jharkhand, Jammu & Kashmir, Karnataka, Odisha, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Punjab and Rajasthan. In addition, three more existing universities in the states of Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh and Uttarakhand were to be upgraded to central university status. Admissions to all these universities is via the Central University Common Entrance Test (CUCET). Special provisions here are also made for the admission of foreign students. 

The Central University of Rajasthan (CURAJ) is located in the city of Ajmer. It was established in 2009. Ajmer is one of the most significant cities in the country in the areas of religion and tourism. Initially, the classes were held at a makeshift location, but from 2012 onwards, the university has moved to its present, permanent 51- acre campus. This campus is being developed on a phased basis. The various decisions are made and operations run by a cohort of committees and councils within the university. There are councils for Executive and Academics affairs. Committees exist for the Finance and Planning & Monitoring tasks. There is also an Internal Committee at the university that looks after various crucial aspects. 

Academics at the CURAJ is run by specific schools that have been set up. There are a total of twelve schools. Under each of these schools, there are separate departments. The largest of these schools is the one for Social Sciences. There are four departments within this, namely for- Economics, Social Work, Culture & Media Studies and for Public Policy- Law and Governance. The School of Life Sciences is another important one here. The departments within it are- Biochemistry, Biotechnology and for Microbiology. Another big one is the School of Mathematics, Statistics and Computer Science. The Department of Physics falls under the aegis of the School of Physical Sciences. One of the game-changing academic wings here is the School of Earth Sciences. The departments within this are for Atmospheric Science and for Environmental Science. The Department of Education comes under the school by the same name. Yet another unique development here is the School of Sports Sciences. The other schools here at the CURAJ are for – Architecture, Chemical Sciences & Pharmacy, Commerce & Management, Engineering & Technology and for Humanities and Languages. There is also the Department of Yoga which runs separately to all these schools mentioned. 

The Internal Committee as mentioned looks into a multitude of activities concerned with the university. There is the CUCET Committee that looks after the entrance examination for admission to the CURAJ. It works closely with the Central Admission Committee. The Transport Committee, Recruitment Committee, Tender Committee, Purchase Committee and Liaisoning Committee have specific roles. The Cultural Committee looks after cultural affairs for both the students as well as the faculty and staff. The university is also connected to the GIAN (Global Initiative of Academic Networks) which offers a method for the academicians to keep updating their academic portfolios consistently. This is the work of the GIAN Cell. There is also a Grievance Committee each for students as well as the faculty. There is an ICT Cell to hone computing and internet capabilities among the students. Another Special Cell exists to look into the SC/ST affairs. There is a wing known as Sparsh, which looks into the social initiatives of the CURAJ. 

Another very important one is the Innovation Cell. Its purpose as the name suggests is to develop groundbreaking innovations. Another is the Digital Learning and Monitoring Cell to ensure compliance towards the norms of web usage. Students are also encouraged to participate in various national schemes such as in the NSS (National Service Scheme). The CURAJ is also part of the NKN (National Knowledge Network) which is one of the largest and super- quick methods for knowledge sharing usual virtual classrooms all over the country. The university has also set up the Greater Transparency and Preventive Vigilance initiative. There is also a Kendriya Vidyalaya (KV) attached to the CURAJ. 

All this has helped the university be consistently ranked high up across the platforms. The university has been ranked 111th all India in the NIRF (National Institutional Rankings Framework). It has also been accredited by the NAAC (National Assessments and Accreditation Council). The university also brings out an annual quality assurance report. A separate IQAC (Internal Quality Assurance Cell) has been created to this end, to ensure that all the terms of the NAAC are complied with.