A research fellow at the Observer Research Foundation in India says the University of Mumbai can do better than aligning itself with the University of Akron.
Fellow Sayli Udas Mankikar wrote in an essay Sunday to the Asian Age newspaper that UA ranks low when it comes to best colleges in the country and its acceptance rate is too high.
If Mumbai “wants to seek partnerships to improve its quality of education and systems, it should aim at seeking out the best on foreign shores,” Mankikar said.
UA President Matthew Wilson confirmed last week that the school is discussing the possibility of Mumbai opening a campus in Akron. The talks, he said, are preliminary.
Mumbai officials have said they want to launch a U.S. campus and have looked for possible sites in New York City and Houston. They also have chatted with UA leaders.
But Mankikar and many students interviewed by the Asian Age said they want to see Mumbai improve conditions at its Indian campuses before opening a foreign location.
“The MU is not capable of increasing the quality of education and its operation in all aspects,” student Akshay Naik told the newspaper. “There is no coordination between departments and the staff is clueless or lethargic. The administration should try to be effective and efficient here and later think about opening campus in the U.S.”
To read the essay and interviews with students, go to these articles:
Mumbai University needs to clean its rot, seek foreign shores later
Students criticise Mumbai University’s plan to set up campus in U.S.