Hyderabad: After 50 years hiatus, OU to reopen doors for UG education in Arts College

Osmania University decided to launch for the first time a four-year BA (Hons) Telugu programme

Hyderabad: After a 50 year hiatus, an undergraduate programme is making a comeback in Osmania University’s Arts College. The university decided to introduce the BA (Hons) Telugu, a four-year undergraduate programme, in the forthcoming academic year.

This is the first time in the university’s history that a four-year BA Honors programme is being launched in the campus college. This marks a major shift for the varsity, which until now offered PG programmes after the discontinuation of undergraduate programmes from the Arts College in 1973.

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The decision to launch the new programme was taken during the undergraduate arts programmes syllabus revision meeting, which was called by the Telangana Council of Higher Education in collaboration with universities on Monday. The BA (Hons) Telugu is expected to have 60 seats and the syllabus is being framed by the OU’s Telugu department.

Further, artificial intelligence, which is so far limited to engineering and science programmes, will soon foray into the arts faculties as well. The TGCHE decided to introduce AI into BA programmes, particularly in political science and economics. Along with AI, other emerging fields like Data Science and Cyber Security will also be introduced into the BA. Students will be taught the basics of emerging technologies, equipping them with essential skills needed in the contemporary job market.

In another crucial move, the Council made a decision to introduce subjects like reasoning, arithmetic and general English language, which are vital for competitive exams, including Civil Services, Railway Recruitment Board, Staff Selection Commission and banking exams, into the undergraduate degree programmes.

TGCHE Chairman Prof V Balakista Reddy said 20 to 30 percent of the existing needs to be changed by taking inputs from the experts concerned as per the regulatory bodies.

A template for 150 credits, which will be uniform for all universities, will be soon rolled out by the Council. Also, seminars, projects and internships will be implemented in the revised curriculum.

The Council, which has constituted a subject-wise experts committee, is expected to finalise the syllabus by March and plans are on to implement a revised syllabus from the upcoming academic year.