New Delhi: On Thursday i.e. on August 12, 2010, a bill for therevival of the ancient Nalanda University was introduced in the Rajya Sabha. The Nalanda University Bill, 2010, aims at setting up a central university in Nalanda, an ancient seat of Buddhist learning, to attract bright and dedicated students and teachers from across south and south East Asia.
While introducing the bill, External Affairs Minister S M Krishna said that the university will impart education and enable research towards capacity building in the domain of ancient science, which was practiced in Nalanda several centuries ago.
This includes philosophy, language, history and other areas of higher learning vital for improving the quality of life.The University aims to contribute to the promotion of regional peace and vision by bringing together the future leaders of East Asia who by relating to their past can enhance their understanding of each other's perspectives and share that understanding globally.
Furthermore, according to the bill the university will also seek to understand Buddha's teachings in the contemporary context and enhance research for greater interaction between Asian countries. It has been proposed that the Nalanda Mentor Group, chaired by Nobel laureate Amartya Sen, will function as the interim governing board for one year or till the constitution of the Governing Board, whichever is earlier. Singapore's Foreign Minister George Yeo is also a member of the Mentor Group.
In addition, the proposed university will have collaborations with other old universities, including the Al-Azhar University of Egypt, Oxford and Cambridge Universities in Britain and Harvard University in the US. It will also have collaboration with China.
