Bengal University to launch course on drone technology

In a unique initiative, the Maulana Abul Kalam Azad University of Technology in Kolkata has decided to launch a course on drone technology.

The course will include modules on repairing, navigation and other aspects of drones. The decision was taken in view of large-scale use of drones for surveillance and crowd management by law enforcement agencies. Speaking to DH the Vice Chancellor Saikat Maitra said that the “course will start from early February.”

According to University authorities, the large-scale use of drones in terms of crowd management by police and other government agencies for rescue operations has created a significant employment prospect in the field. They also said that with the introduction of such a dedicated course on drone technology the students of the state will get an upper hand in such jobs.

The course will be a six-month-long certificate course in the initial stages and based on response and demand the University authorities may turn it into a full-fledged degree course. “For now we are focusing on running a certificate course and will think of running a degree course later,” said Maitra.

During the course, students will not only be taught on how to fly drones but will also get hands-on experience in manufacturing them.

Pointing out that advanced drones operate on complex technology and sensitive equipment, University authorities said that a considerable portion of the course will focus on repairing of drones.

“Now our primary focus will be on developing sufficient learning resources and ensuring adequate faculty members for the course,” said Maitra. He also said that the main hurdle in introducing a full-fledged degree course on the drone subject is lack of faculty members.

University sources said that apart from students officials of law enforcement agencies tasked with duties such as crowd management will also be able to enrol for the course. However, the intake for the course is yet to be decided.