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Maharaja Sayajirao UniversityEarly History of the Idea of a University in Baroda The idea of establishing a University at Baroda had engaged the attention of the Government of the former State of Baroda and its educational advisers long before the question of regional universities and decentralisation, reorganisation and reconditioning of higher education to suit the cultural educational needs of particular areas had taken root in the country. The concept was first visualized by Dr. Jackson, when, as Principal of the Baroda College in the 1908, he advocated the establishment of a Science Institute at Baroda on an improved and independent basis. It was a consistent policy of the Government of Baroda to subject its educational system to periodical inquiries of a searching nature by educational experts of international fame, as a result of which the first Commission was appointed in 1909. The principal recommendation of that Commission was to expand the activities of the Baroda College by establishing additional chairs in new branches of knowledge. As a result of this policy of chalking out untrodden paths in higher education and thereby evolving a university atmosphere in Baroda, chairs of Comparative Region and Household Science were instituted. Prof. Widgery and Mrs. Strong were appointed to hold these chairs. In 1916, the educational policy of the State was again reviewed. As a part of this inquiry, one of the members of the Commission, Shri S.V.Mukerjea, prepared a minute of recommendations and in his note he definitely advocated the establishment of a University at Baroda. In 1919 the matter was brought to the forefront by the appointment of yet another Committee consisting of the late Principal Clarke, Prof. Widgery and Shri N. K. Dixit, the then Educational Commissioner of the State. The Committee drew up an elaborate report in favour of civic University at Baroda. Thereafter, Prof. P. Sheshadri of the Benares Hindu University was requested to lay out a scheme for a University at Baroda. Prof. Widgery also submitted a scheme for a State University on the lines of the smaller German Universities. During this period , Her Highness Shrimant Maharani Chimnabai Saheb, the Maharani Gaekwad of Baroda, offered a princely donation for running a Women's University at Baroda. But as Sir Manubhai Mehta, the then Dewan of Baroda, pointed out in one of his speeches, "the time was not ripe then for idea to germinate." The Baroda University Commission of 1927 In the year 1925, the Setalvad Committee on the University Reform in the Province of Bombay published their report. The Committee recommended the idea of regional Universities in the Province of Bombay, stressed the importance of more direct teaching, at least as far as the post-graduate teaching by the Universities was concerned, and stressed the need for paying for greater attention to the study of technology and carrying on research in the various branches of knowledge. The Committee, through it proposed the idea of having regional Universities into which the province could be divided viz., Maharastra, Gujarat, Karnatak and Sind, recommended that a University for only one region viz.Maharastra be established, at an early date. According to them, the rest of the areas were not so developed then as to have a seprate university. Dr. M.R.Jaykar and Prof. K.T. Shah two of the members of the Committee, had appended notes of dissent stating that Gujarat could definetly be considered ripe for a seprate University. This led to a movement for a separate university for Gujartat. Just about the time when the cry for the establishment of separate regional Universities was raised, the celebration of the golden jubilee of the His Highness the late Maharaja Sir Sayajirao Gaekwad were afoot in the Baroda State and the people of the State also showed keen interest in establishing a University at Baroda as a fitting monument to commemorate the beneficent region of the illustrious ruler. This resulted in the appointment of the Baroda University Commission on the 24th September, 1926, with Prof. A.G. Widgery as Chairman, and the following members:- 1. Principal A.B.Dhriva 2. Shri K.M.Munshi 3. Prof. K.G.Naik 4. Shri S.V.Mukerjea The Commission submitted in 1927 a comprehensive report making out a strong case for the immediate establishment of a University at Baroda. The principal recommendation of the that Commission were : 1. A separate University at Baroda called "Shri Sayajirao University of Baroda" be established. 2. The University should be of Unitary and residential type with facilities for affiliation of college outside the city. 3. The first two years of colleges were proposed to be reformed and constituted into a Preparatory College for Men and Preparatory College for Women. 4. The first two years of the University should be reorganised into Faculties of 1. Arts 2. Science 3. Technology and Agriculture and 4. Economics, Commerce amd Administration. 5. Besides the Faculties, the University should have 1. Institute for Oriental Studies 2. Institute for Gujarati Studies 3. School of Fine Arts 4. School of Nursing and 5. School of Domestic Science. 6. Emphasis was placed on the study of Technology and Science and on post-graduate teaching and research. 7. Two years' pass and honours degree courses with provision for instituting special groups within the alternative honours courses and keeping the pass inferior to the honours courses. 8. Medium of instruction should be the vernacular upto the school leaving examination in all subjects except English, and English a the preparatory courses with latitude to teachers to use the vernacular. 9. Provision was to be made for extension courses, library movement as a university extension movement, compulsory medical examination and compulsory choice of forms of exercises. 10. Provision of health service and a special ward in the local Hospital for the members of the University. 11. Construction of new building for the Students' Union and Residential Halls for Students. Circumstances, however, did not permit the establishment of a separate University in 1927, but the growth of the university idea continued unabated. Several institutions for higher education were added during the two decades that followed. The University Committee of 1947 In 1947, His Highness Maharaja Sir Pratapsinh Gaekwad pursued the idea and appointed a Committee under the Chairmanship of Shri K.M.Munshi with the following members to consider the question of a University at Baroda and offer Partial suggestions for its early establishment :- 1. Sir R.P. Masani 2. Dr. R.B. Chandrachud 3. Dr. J.M. Mehta 4. Principal S.B. Junnarkar 5. Dr. K.N.Kulshreshtha 6. Dr. C.S.Patel 7. Shri R.S. Kanungo 8. Principal V.K.Gokak 9. Dr. M.D. Avasare The committee submitted its report to the government of Baroda towards the end of the year 1948. the main recommendations of the Committee were : 1. Baroda was well-equipped to be a university centre. 2. The Baroda University should be primarily a teaching and residential University with an affiliating side to accommodate mofussil colleges. 3. The tutorial system should be instituted at least at the post graduate stage to begin with. 4. English should be medium of instruction for the next five years. Both the regional and the national languages should be taught compulsorily to the students during this period.Later on teaachers should be given the option to teach either in English or in the national language or the regional language, Students having liberty to answer the question-paper in the regional language. 5. Secondary education should provide for all types of courses and be complete in itself. The first two years spent in colleges may well form part of the secondary course. The School Leaving Examination should be instituted by Government after an eight years' course in secondary schools. 6. The University should retain full freedom in academic matters. 7. All the existing higher Educational institutions including the Central Library, the Oriental Institute and Kalabhavan should be taken over by the University. 8. Government should give a block grant of Rs. 25 Lakhs annually o the University for the first five years. The Government of Baroda considered the above Report of the Committee and in their Order No. (R) 169-39, dated , the 21st February, 1949(Appendix A) decided to establish a Residential University for Baroda and affiliating to its external side the Colleges at Visnagar, Petlad and Navsari which were situated in the State Baroda. A bill for the establishment of the Maharaja Sayajirao University of Baroda was later introduced in the Baroda State Legislature restricting, however, the jurisdiction of the University to the area within a radius of ten miles of its office and it was passed by the Legislative Assembly on the 26th April , 1949. The bill received the assent of His Highness Maharaja Sir Pratapsinh Gaekwad on 29th April, 1949, and the Maharaja Sayajirao Univerity of Baroda Act, No. XVII of 1949, was published in the Baroda State Gazette on the 30th April, 1949. The Objects of the University It is evident from the preceding paragraphs that the Government of Baroda and its people had for a long time desired to have a separate University of their own. The affiliation of all the institutions of higher education to a University situated far away was not conductive to the development of new courses of instruction suited to the needs of the region. It acted, on the contrary, as an obstacle. The main object of establishing the Maharaja Sayajirao Univerity of Baroda was, therefore,to provide a distinct type of University-a teaching and residential University which sould have complete freedom in all academic matters and would be free to institute new branches of studies suited to the needs and aspirations of the region in particular and of the country in general. Structure of the University His Highness the Maharaja of Baroda is the Chancellor of the University. The Vice-Chancellor is the principal executive and academic officer of the University and is to be assisted in his work by Pro-Vice Chancellor or a Rector. The Senate is the supreme governing body and authority of the University and the Syndicate, its executive authority. Among the other authorities of the University is the counsil of Post-gratuate Studies and Research which has to deal with all matters relating to instruction, training and research in the various subjects taught in the University. The other authorities of the University are the Faculties and the Boards of Studies thereunder, which are principally responsible for making recommendations in the matter of the course of studies, textbooks and generally on academic matters. The Act deals with the residence of the students and lays down that all students of the University should reside in the hostels of the University or under conditions laid down by the relevent Ordinances. Provision has also been made in the Act for the establishment of a Board of Extra-mural Studies, a studnets' Welfare Board, a Publications Board and such other Boards as may be prescribed by the Statutes. Besides the usual Faculties of Arts, Science, Commerce, Medicine, Technology(including Engineering), Law and Agrigulture, the University is autherised to institute new Faculties of Education and Psychology, Home Science, Fine Arts and Social Work. Establishment of the University Under the Government of Baroda Legal Remembrancer's Notification No. 41 dated 30th April,1949, read with its amendment of the same date, all the above provisions of the Act, Except Section 5, which provided for the transfer of affiliation of the College situated within the University area from the University of Bombay to this University, were brought into operation from the 30th Aptil,1949, and thus the University was established from that date. First Statutes and Ordinances The Vice-Chancellor, Shrimati Hansa Mehta was, at the time of her appointment, in the United States of America to attend the meeting of the Human Rights Commission of the United Nations. She therefore took charge of her duties on the 1st July,1949 immediately after her return to India. The Vice-Chancellor, with the help of the Syndicate, framed the First Statutes and Ordinances as provided for in Section68(4) of the Act. They received the approval of the Chancellor and were passed by the Senate on the 19th March, 1950. The Government of Bombay was then requested to bring Section 5 of the Act into operation. Under the Bombay Government Notofication No. 9003, dated the 15th March,1950, Section 5 was brought into force the 1st April, 1950. From that date the affiliation of the Colleges so far affiliated to the University of Bombay and situated within the jurisdiction of the Maharaja Sayajirao University of Baroda were transferred from the Bombay University to this Universtiy and the right of any educational institution situated within the University area of being associated in any way with with or seeking admission to any privileges of any other University established by law was withdrawn, except as may be consented to by the University and sanctioned by Government. The Syndicate, however, allowed the Chimanbhai Mahila Pathsala at Baroda to continue its affiliation with the S.N.D.T. University. The first Registrar and the first Accountat were deputed to study the working of the Office of the University of Bombay and receives valuable advice and information for establishing the Office of this University, which commenced regular work from 23rd May,1949. Taken from: http://www.msubaroda.ac.in/about_msun.php
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