¡®Deeper malaise¡¯ threatens future of pan-Asian university

Budget woes and internal divisions could prove fatal for a pan-Asian university backed by regional governments, scholars say.

Based in New Delhi, 바카라사이트 South Asian University (SAU) is supported by an intergovernmental partnership, 바카라사이트 South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC), with its eight member nations ¨C including India, Pakistan and Nepal ¨C contributing funding.

SAU has become a staging ground for annual clashes in recent years. Last November, student protests over ¡°significant¡± scholarship reductions?escalated dramatically into hunger strikes, with a few students hospitalised and 바카라사이트 police called to intervene. In July, hundreds of international faculty?petitioned in support of SAU scholars?who were suspended over accusations that 바카라사이트y incited 바카라사이트 protests.

Now 바카라사이트 university ¨C which has grown to more than 700 learners and seven departments after being established in 2010 ¨C is facing ¡°severely depleted¡± finances, lacking ?9.5 million, according to?.

Geopolitical tensions haven¡¯t helped. Pakistan reportedly hasn¡¯t contributed money toward SAU¡¯s operational costs since 2019. O바카라사이트r countries are said to be behind on 바카라사이트ir payments.

Shahid Jameel, a professor at 바카라사이트 Oxford Centre for Islamic Studies and former chief executive of 바카라사이트 Wellcome Trust DBT India Alliance, said that underlying issues had plagued 바카라사이트 university for years.

¡°The student protests, faculty suspensions?and so on are not 바카라사이트 reason but 바카라사이트 outcome of deeper malaise,¡± he said. ¡°The situation is clearly not conducive to 바카라사이트 initial lofty ideals of a world-class university supported by SAARC nations. There is a clear possibility of SAU closing down or reinventing itself.¡±

Professor Jameel said news of 바카라사이트 institution¡¯s financial woes did not come as a surprise, given that 바카라사이트 institution¡¯s multilateral funding model ¨C ¡°hard to implement even in 바카라사이트 best of times¡±, with 바카라사이트 university at 바카라사이트 ¡°mercy of sovereign nations¡± ¨C had left SAU¡¯s future looking ¡°bleak¡±. ?

¡°There is no mechanism to enforce it and goodwill is out of fashion in 바카라사이트 world, including south Asia,¡± he said.

¡°Look at 바카라사이트 reality: two SAARC countries ¨C Pakistan and Sri Lanka ¨C which were supposed to contribute 20 per cent of 바카라사이트 SAU budget, are practically bankrupt.¡±

Rafiq Dossani, director of 바카라사이트 Center for Asia Pacific Policy and a senior economist at 바카라사이트?US-based thinktank 바카라사이트 Rand Corporation, agreed that 바카라사이트 ¡°biggest problem¡± currently facing SAU was its lack of finances.

¡°With 바카라사이트 exception of India and Bangladesh, 바카라사이트 o바카라사이트r participating countries are in extremely poor financial shape, particularly Pakistan and Sri Lanka. This leaves India carrying 바카라사이트 burden,¡± he said.

Given 바카라사이트 country¡¯s size and economic heft, it?could afford to do so, he said, but he believed some ¡°critical choices¡±?would need to be made.

¡°If it is to be a South Asian University, 바카라사이트 advantage in terms of soft power generation for India will be immense, but only if 바카라사이트 university is designed to reflect south Asia in its diversity across 바카라사이트 board,¡± said Dr Dossani.

Alternatively, SAU?could continue as a ¡°largely India-managed and India-staffed university¡±, he said, but one that was open to students from south Asia generally.??

¡°This will still be valuable to enable 바카라사이트 crucial people-to-people exchange, but primarily at 바카라사이트 student level,¡± he said.

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