Jagadguru Rambhadracharya Handicapped University
Encyclopedia
Jagadguru Rambhadracharya Handicapped University (or simply JRHU) , is a private university located in Chitrakoot, Uttar Pradesh
Uttar Pradesh
Uttar Pradesh abbreviation U.P. , is a state located in the northern part of India. With a population of over 200 million people, it is India's most populous state, as well as the world's most populous sub-national entity...

, India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...

. This is the first university exclusively for the disabled in India and the world.

It was established on September 27, 2001 by Jagadguru Rambhadracharya and is run by the Jagadguru Rambhadracharya Viklang Shikshan Sansthan trust. The university was created by an ordinance by the Uttar Pradesh Government, which was later passed as the Uttar Pradesh State Act 32 (2001) by the Uttar Pradesh legislature. The act appointed Jagadguru Rambhadracharya as the life-long chancellor of the university.

The university offers graduate, post-graduate and doctorate degrees in concentrations including Sanskrit, Hindi, English, Sociology, Psychology, Fine Arts, Special Education, Education, History, Culture & Archeology, Computer & Information Sciences, Vocational Education, Law, Economics, and Prosthetics and Orthotics
Orthotics
Orthotics is a specialty within the medical field concerned with the design, manufacture and application of orthoses. An orthosis is an orthopedic device that supports or corrects the function of a limb or the torso...

. The university plans to start offering courses in Ayurveda
Ayurveda
Ayurveda or ayurvedic medicine is a system of traditional medicine native to India and a form of alternative medicine. In Sanskrit, words , meaning "longevity", and , meaning "knowledge" or "science". The earliest literature on Indian medical practice appeared during the Vedic period in India,...

 and Medical Sciences from 2013. Admissions are restricted to the four types of disabled students: visually impaired, hearing impaired, mobility impaired and mentally impaired, as defined by the Disability Act (1995) of the Government of India
Government of India
The Government of India, officially known as the Union Government, and also known as the Central Government, was established by the Constitution of India, and is the governing authority of the union of 28 states and seven union territories, collectively called the Republic of India...

. 354 disabled students were awarded degrees in the second convocation of the university held in March 2010. In the third convocation held in January 2011, 388 students were awarded degrees. All of the facilities at the campus, such as classrooms, hostel and laboratory etc. are accessible and adapted for the disabled. An International Ramcharitmanas Research Center is located in the university.

At present, the majority of students are from Uttar Pradesh, Bihar and Madhya Pradesh. However, students have also come from Assam, Maharashtra, Chhattisgarh and Uttarakhand.

History

On August 23, 1996, Swami Rambhadracharya established the Tulasi School for the Blind in Chitrakoot. After this, he decided to establish an institution of higher learning solely for disabled students. With this aim, he founded the Jagadguru Rambhadracharya Handicapped University on September 27, 2001 in Chitrakoot, Uttar Pradesh. The foundation stone of the university was laid on April 2, 2001. The university was inaugurated by Rajnath Singh
Rajnath Singh
Rajnath Singh is a prominent Indian politician and who has served the country in many capacities. He was the Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh, a Cabinet Minister in the NDA regime and became the National President of the Bharatiya Janata Party, which is the single largest Opposition party in India...

 on July 26, 2011. The planned name for the university was Chitrakoot Handicapped University (CHU), but later Jagadguru Rambhadracharya Handicapped University was chosen as the name.

Formation

The university was founded initially by the JRHU Ordinance, enacted by the governor of Uttar Pradesh on August 7, 2001. The ordinance was replaced by the JRHU Act passed on October 5, 2001. Classes at the university began on August 23, 2001. In 2002, the university was granted membership in the Association of Indian Universities, New Delhi.

Special features for the disabled

JRHU was designed to ensure greater accessibility for the disabled to higher education. Students are provided with a disabled-friendly campus and classrooms, at an affordable cost. Courses in basic Sanskrit and computer skills are mandatory. Courses are available in Braille for visually impaired students. Hostel facility meeting special needs of disabled students is provided, including those of the visually and hearing impaired. Hostel facility is provided in the university and Tulsi Peeth, a religious and social service institution also established by Rambharacharya.

Logo

The logo of the university represents the four types of disability (visual, hearing, physical and mental impairment), along with the Sanskrit motto । सेवाधर्मः परमगहनः । (IAST
IAST
The International Alphabet of Sanskrit Transliteration is a transliteration scheme that allows a lossless romanization of Indic scripts as employed by the Sanskrit language.-Popularity:...

: sevādharmaḥ paramagahanaḥ, meaning “the duty of service is extremely difficult”) and the photograph of the life-long chancellor.

Courses

Jagadguru Rambhadracharya Handicapped University offers many degrees. B.A. and M.A. degrees are provided in Sanskrit, Hindi, English, Sociology, Music, Drawing & Painting, History, Culture & Archaeology. Other courses include MSW (Master of Social Work), B.Mus., BFA (Bachelor in Fine Art), B.Ed., M.Ed. Special, B.Ed. (Bachelor of Education ), M.Ed. (Master of Education) (Hearing Impairment & Visual Impairment), BCA (Bachelor of Computer Application), BBA (Bachelor of Business Administration), PGDIT (Post-graduate Diploma in Information Technology), DIT (Diploma in Information Technology), Diploma in Photography & Video Shooting, Diploma in Handmade Paper, Law (five-year integrated course), BPO (Bachelor in Prosthetics & Orthotics) condensed course, BPO (Bachelor in Prosthetics & Orthotics) five-year integrated course and B.A. courses in Psychology.

Notable visitors

Many notable visitors have been to JRHU. Some of them are former chief minister of Uttar Pradesh Rajnath Singh
Rajnath Singh
Rajnath Singh is a prominent Indian politician and who has served the country in many capacities. He was the Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh, a Cabinet Minister in the NDA regime and became the National President of the Bharatiya Janata Party, which is the single largest Opposition party in India...

, member of Rajya Sabha
Rajya Sabha
The Rajya Sabha or Council of States is the upper house of the Parliament of India. Rajya means "state," and Sabha means "assembly hall" in Sanskrit. Membership is limited to 250 members, 12 of whom are chosen by the President of India for their expertise in specific fields of art, literature,...

 Murli Manohar Joshi
Murli Manohar Joshi
Murli Manohar Joshi was the Union Human Resources Development minister of India in the NDA government. Joshi is a leading member of the Bharatiya Janata Party...

, chairman of UGC
University Grants Commission (India)
The University Grants Commission of India is a statutory organisation set up by Union government in 1956, for the coordination, determination and maintenance of standards of university education. It provides recognition for universities in India, and provides funds for government-recognised...

 Arun Nigvekar, former union minister Uma Bharati, general secretary of AIU
Association of Indian Universities
Association of Indian Universities is an organisation based in Delhi India to evaluate the courses, syllabi, standard and credits of foreign Universities and to equate them in relation to various courses offered by Indian Universities....

 Dayanand Donagaokar, former chief justice of Allahabad High Court
Allahabad High Court
The Allahabad High Court or the High Court of Judicature at Allahabad is a high court having jurisdiction over the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh since 1950...

 Hemant Laxman Gokhale, former vice chancellor of the University of Kashmir
University of Kashmir
-Faculties/Departments:* Arts** Department of Arabic** Department of Urdu** Department of English** Department of Kashmiri** Department of Foreign Languages** Department of Library and Information Science** Department of Linguistics...

 Abdul Wahid, sitting judge of the Supreme Court of India
Supreme Court of India
The Supreme Court of India is the highest judicial forum and final court of appeal as established by Part V, Chapter IV of the Constitution of India...

 Markandey Katju
Markandey Katju
Justice Markandey Katju is the Chairman, Press Council of India. He was formerly a Judge of the Supreme Court of India.-Family / Background:Justice Markandey Katju was born on September 20, 1946 in Lucknow, India. He is of Kashmiri Brahmin descent...

, justice of the Supreme Court of India Dalveer Bhandari
Dalveer Bhandari
-Early career:Bhandari completed his master of law degree at Northwestern University School of Law in Chicago, USA while working for their legal clinic. After graduation he studied and lectured on law in a fellowship program promoting legal education in Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia, Singapore,...

, justice of the Allahabad high court Singh and former major-general Ian Cardozo.

Support from other organizations

The creation of the university was highly supported by the Government of Uttar Pradesh
Government of Uttar Pradesh
The Government of Uttar Pradesh is a democratically elected body with the Governor as the constitutional head. The Governor of Uttar Pradesh who is appointed for a period of five years, appoints the Chief Minister and his council of ministers...

. JRHU also receives support from UGC. The registrar of the university, Avanish Chandra Mishra, said that they received help from Rehabilitation Council of India
Rehabilitation Council of India
The Rehabilitation Council of India is the apex government body, set up under an Act of Parliament, to regulate training programmes and courses targeted at disabled, disadvantaged, and special education requirement communities...

 for running courses in Information Technology, Teacher Training Programme, Fine Art, Music etc. The university has been declared eligible to receive central assistance under section 12(b) of UGC Act 1956.

Other features

Placement center

To assist its students in selecting appropriate courses/programmes and getting placements based on their performances, JRHU has a placement center. The centre also arranges capsule training programmes to help youth for proper rehabilitation.

Distance education
To reach out to students with limited mobility, the university offers distance education programs online, recognised by the Distance Education Council, IGNOU, New Delhi. Like other programs at the university, these are available only for the disabled.
Name of courses Course duration
B.C.A. 3 years
M.C.A. 2 years
B.B.A. 3 years
M.B.A. 3 years
B.A. 3 years
M.A. 2 years
P.G.D.C.A. 1 year
D.C.A. 1 year
P.G.D.B.M. 1 year

External links

The source of this article is wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.  The text of this article is licensed under the GFDL.
 
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