KPCC welcomes government’s proposed move to close down new universities

Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee spokesperson and former Syndicate member of the University of Mysore, H.A. Venkatesh, addressing a press conference in Mysuru on Tuesday.
| Photo Credit: M.A. Sriram

Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) spokesperson H.A. Venkatesh has welcomed the State government’s proposed move to merge or close down nine new universities established during the BJP rule in the State.

Addressing a press conference in Mysuru on Tuesday, Mr. Venkatesh, who is also a former Syndicate member of the University of Mysore, said that the new universities had been set up without preparation of a Detailed Project Report (DPR) listing out the necessity for establishing a university, location, population, and number of students, and the number of affiliated colleges within its jurisdiction.

Also, the UGC regulations stipulate that a new university must have at least 100 acres of land and offer at least five undergraduate and five postgraduate programmes, ensuring a minimum of 450 students in the first year. Each department must have at least one professor, two associate professors, and four assistant professors, Mr. Venkatesh said.

But, the new universities were established without any DPR or following the UGC regulations, he said and alleged that the decision to create the new universities appeared to have been guided by “electoral considerations” rather than “academic necessity”.

Also, when setting up a university, the government must appoint a special officer to oversee the process. “But, it was not done,” he said. Critical factors such as the distance from the existing universities, regional requirements, and academic infrastructure were completely ignored, he said.

Mr. Venkatesh cited the example of setting up new universities in Mandya, Chamarajanagar, and Hassan close to the University of Mysore, which has a long-standing history and global reputation. Similarly, establishing new universities in Haveri, Koppal, Bidar, Bagalkot, and Kodagu too have been questioned, he said.

The KPCC spokesperson said that the BJP government failed to take measures to sustain the universities set up during its regime, including the ones dedicated to Music, Folklore, and Sanskrit.

With dwindling student enrollment and inadequate infrastructure, new universities were facing operational difficulties, Mr. Venkatesh said adding that the government should consider shutting them down and strengthening the traditional universities instead. The unplanned proliferation of universities threatens the existence of traditional universities by diverting resources and faculty, he said.