By Azera Rahman, IANS
New Delhi : Nestled in a serene and scenic corner of the eastern Himalayas in Bhutan is the Sherubtse College – the only college under Delhi University (DU) to be away from the capital and across the country's borders.
Far from the madding crowds and the traffic snarls so typical of the roads of Delhi, Sherubtse stands at a majestic height of 6,880 feet and is governed by the rules and regulations of the Royal University of Bhutan (RUB) as well as DU.
"When there was no university in Bhutan, the ministry of education in Thimphu and Delhi University had an understanding that DU would award degrees at Sherubtse College. That was in 1983," Jagar Dorji, the college principal, told IANS in an email interview.
Delhi University, one of the finest in India and with 84 colleges in the national capital, was to award degrees to Sherubtse's students until Bhutan had its own university.
"The minutes of the understanding say that when Bhutan has its own university, which it did in 2003 by the name of the Royal University of Bhutan, the college would then come under the new university," Dorji said.
But the college is abiding by the norms and syllabi of both the universities even now.
Sherubtse began its journey in the field of education as a public school, which later got converted into a tertiary institute with an ever-increasing student capacity.
From merely 30 students in 1983, when it got affiliated to DU, it now has a 1,043-strong student force. The admissions to Sherubtse are generally carried out in March.
The college offers eight courses – undergraduate programmes in English Literature, Dzongkha language, Geography, Economics, Business Administration, Computer Science and General Science.
"For DU courses questions are set and evaluated by DU. External examiners also come here to conduct practical examinations for science and computer sciences," Dorji said.
One of the criteria for a student to get admission in the college is that he/she must possess a citizenship card. So even though Sherubtse is affiliated to DU, Indian students cannot apply to the college.
"Indian students can't apply to Sherubtse at the moment. But RUB is working on a policy towards this in future," Dorji said.
Sherubtse's connection with DU, however, may soon be coming to an end.
"Between the DU and RUB there was an understanding in 2004 that RUB would gradually introduce its own degree programmes while DU courses would continue to be taught. Between 2006 and 2008 the transition from DU to RUB programmes will be completed," Dorji told IANS.