As the oldest university in North East India, Gauhati University boasts over 300 affiliated colleges, many of which are situated in rural regions. Its commitment to sustainability is a top priority. Located in a region renowned for its diverse ethnic, sociocultural, and linguistic landscape, as well as its abundant biodiversity, Gauhati University stands out as a distinctive focus area. This commitment is reflected in its curriculum, resources, and research facilities such as the following:
1. Gauhati University Institute of North-East India Studies
2. Centre for Performing Arts and Culture
3. Dr. H. K. Baruah Regional Plant Resource Centre (Botanical Garden)
4. Aquaculture and Biodiversity Centre
5. Biotechnology Park
6. Gauhati University Centre for Distance and Open Education
7. Pre-Examination Training Centre
8. Anthropology Museum (oldest museum in Northeast India)
9. Folklore Museum
10. GU Observatory
11. ST-Radar Centre
12. ISRO-GU Regional Academic Centre for Space (RAC-S)
13. Centre for Multidisciplinary Research (supported by DST-PURSE, GoI)
14. Sophisticated Analytical Instrumentation Facility (SAIF)
15. Central Instrumentation Facility (CIF)
16. Brahmaputra Studies Centre
The vision of the University for transformation and development finds expression in the works of different departments. Among the humanities and languages, the Department of Folklore Research is engaged in research, documentation and preservation of the rich cultural heritage and diversity of Assam as well as the Northeast. The Department of Assamese incorporates into its teaching and research programmes various aspects of the sociocultural ethos of different ethnic groups of the region. Other language departments like English, MIL, Literary Studies, Hindi, Bengali, Persian, Arabic, Foreign Languages play significant roles in the study of languages, literature and culture, and provide a holistic environment for garnering further cultural knowledge. The social science departments are playing a key role in heralding social change, and economic and gender equality. The Department of Linguistics has done pioneering research in the languages of the northeast.
The science departments have been conducting pioneering research in the areas specific to the region with a focus on multidisciplinary and translational research. To ensure quality research, the University successfully implemented the Institutional Academic Integrity Panel (IAIP), and the PhD Regulations of the University adhere to the strictest standards. The
Department of Information Technology prepared a digital archive of Bharat Ratna Dr. Bhupen Hazarika’s songs in Unicode format and has been working towards including Assamese script in ISO 10646 to BIS, Government of India. The programme and courses of the department of Environmental Sciences reflects the institution’s distinctiveness through topics on natural hazards in general and the natural hazards of Northeast India (especially seismic and flood hazards). The Departments of Geography, Geological Science and Anthropology have been leading their disciplines with pioneering research and innovative teaching. The Department of Botany has been working towards creating inventories and mapping the plant resources of North East India in general and Assam in particular, and conserving rare, endangered and threatened plant species. The Centre for South Asian Studies, Gauhati University, has been established as a research hub as follow up of India’s Act East Policy.
The University has consistently tried to provide an immersive environment to its students. During the COVID -19 pandemic, it integrated routine educational activities with creating mass awareness regarding individual and social well-being. During the pandemic year of 2020-21, the university adopted several initiatives, some which are firsts in the entire Northeast India. For example, it was the first to introduce an online Open Text Book Assessment (OTBE) for all undergraduate and postgraduate students during the 2020-21.
The University has successfully implemented e-governance in several areas such as planning and development, administration, finance and accounts, student admission and support, and examination. The University provides equitable education for students from diverse backgrounds. It has a well-formulated admission and fee structure for providing equal opportunities to students belonging to the less privileged sections of the society, reflected in the extension and outreach activities conducted by DSW and NSS Unit of the university as well as its departments. Furthermore, the university has sought to connect its grassroots activities conducted at the local/regional level with national and global practices, as evident from its initiative (as the nodal university) towards the implementation of the NEP-2020 in the state of Assam. As part of its social responsibility, students of the engineering stream have been actively engaged in identifying problems pertaining to agriculture, livelihood, energy generation, etc. and finding feasible engineering/technological solutions with the potential of expanding the implementation on a larger industrial scale as a part of Rural Internship. In continuation of its efforts to enhance the employability skills of the students through an active and thriving industry-academia partnership, the University has set up a dedicated Industry Institute Partnership Cell (IIPC) with 28 industry members along with Institutional Incubation Cell (IIC).
The University emphasises the value and efficacy of multilingual education and has taken active initiatives in this regard. It prioritises providing inclusive and outcome-based education (OBE) for all, and the overall framework of its syllabi, pedagogical methods, and co-curricular activities reflect this. To provide holistic and multidisciplinary education the university has introduced the Five-Year Integrated Masters Programme and has facilitated the process of starting the Four-Year Undergraduate Programme in its affiliated colleges. Gauhati University has ‘Earn While You Learn Schemes’ wherein the students are financially supported during their learning, such as the following:
The fifth and sixth semester students of the Three-year MSc in Radiological Physics course undergo paid internships at B Barooah Cancer Institute and Tata Medical Centres every year;
Every year around 30% of the students of the B.Tech. programme undergo paid internships in various companies and sectors during their summer and winter breaks. Details can be found here :
https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1z1FuAcRa5GRn2Suoram2maF0ZlwJC6uV?usp=sharing
In order to promote robust, innovative and relevant research, the University has the following initiatives in place:
Research fellowships to one scholar from each department to support them in their research;
Young Faculty Research Grants to newly joined Assistant Professors across various departments to support them in their research.