E-Paper
Banaras Hindu University sets up department of museology, to offer PG course
Following the approval of the President of India, Ram Nath Kovind, the university has notified the creation of the department of museology. With this addition, the faculty of arts, also known as the mother faculty, now has 22 departments.
Banaras Hindu University has joined the club of select educational institutions in India to have an independent and full-fledged department of museology. So far, museology was being run as a section under the department of ancient Indian history, culture and archaeology in the faculty of arts. The university has notified the creation of the department of museology following the approval of the visitor, President of India, Ram Nath Kovind and subsequent amendment in the BHU Statutes. With this, the number of departments under the faculty of arts, also known as the mother faculty, has gone up to 22.
The creation of a new department on museology assumes significance in wake of the increasing demand for professionals, academicians and experts in this area which is considered to be an inter-disciplinary professional programme.
The new department in BHU is poised to play an important role in this regard. Presently National Museum Institute (Deemed to be University), New Delhi, Aligarh Muslim University, Aligarh (Uttar Pradesh), Maharaja Sayajirao University, Vadodara (Gujarat), Indira Gandhi National Tribal University, Amarkantak (Madhya Pradesh) and Calcutta University, Kolkata (West Bengal), are among the select institutions where museology is functioning as a full-fledged department and offering educational programmes.
BHU currently offers postgraduate, doctoral and postdoctoral programmes in the discipline of museology. The university had initially started a postgraduate diploma course in museology in the year 1968 under Bharat Kala Bhawan. It was then upgraded to MA in the museology program in 1979. The museology section was made part of the department of ancient Indian history, culture and archaeology in 2006. There are a total of 15 seats in the postgraduate programme including two paid seats.
Prof Usha Rani Tiwari, professor in museology, Banaras Hindu University, who has been teaching for the past 20 years, said the discipline offers several professional opportunities such as museum director, conservator, and assistant professor among many others. She said that the setting up of the new department of museology will further add to the growth and glory of Banaras Hindu University.
Prof Vijay Bahadur Singh, dean of the faculty of arts, has expressed happiness regarding the creation of the Department of Museology.
