Teachers pour out woes on their day

September 6, 2011

Mangalore, September 5: With black ribbons on their hand, teachers of Mangalore taluk showed their dismay concerning various decisions of the government at the Mangalore taluk-level Teachers Day celebrations held at AB Shetty Hall on Monday.

Expressing their dissatisfaction, a memorandum was submitted to the District-in-Charge Minister which had various demands such as discontinuing the 10-day residential training given to teachers by the SSA as it was very problematic for teachers to stay away from home, exclude teachers from the election duty as they are not able to impart education.

They also pointed out that they are not allowed to give chores to children such as sweeping and sobbing but on the other hand they have been asked to teach children about basic hygiene. The authorities have not made any other alternative arrangement on who has to do the school chores, they said.

The additional teachers in aided schools have been transferred depending on the ratio 1 teacher for 40 students.

They should not be relieved unless teachers are not appointed according to the ration 1:30, said the teachers. They also questioned on the decision on not appointing a headmaster to schools with less than 120 teachers and asked on who has to take charge in place of the head master.

After inaugurating the programme, District-In-Charge Minister Krishna J Palemar responded to the issues raised by their teachers and assured them help. Stating that education is not only academic but all round, he said children should know how to do various chores as it will help them in future.

He also said that he shall speak to the election commission about the problems being faced by the teachers.

Karnataka Legislative Assembly Deputy Speaker Yogish Bhat regretted that DK district which used to always occupy the first or second place in SSLC results, is now lagging behind.

This indeed is a black spot and more concentration should be paid on motivating the students, he said.

He also advised teachers to leave their personal issues aside and concentrate on the development of the students.

MLC Captain Ganesh Karnik appreciated the teachers as they live honest life only with their salary.

He also assured to look into the various problems the teachers face.

Retired teachers were felicitated on the occasion.

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Mangaluru’s KPT becomes India’s first autonomous govt polytechnic

News Network

January 23,2026

Mangaluru: The Karnataka Government Polytechnic (KPT), Mangaluru, has achieved autonomous status from the All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE), becoming the first government polytechnic in the country to receive such recognition in its 78-year history. The status was granted by AICTE, New Delhi, and subsequently approved by the Karnataka Board of Technical Education in October last year.

Officials said the autonomy was conferred a few months ago. Until recently, AICTE extended autonomous status only to engineering colleges, excluding diploma institutions. However, with a renewed national focus on skill development, several government polytechnics across India have now been granted autonomy.

KPT, the second-largest polytechnic in Karnataka, was established in 1946 with four branches and has since expanded to offer eight diploma programmes, including computer science and polymer technology. The institution is spread across a 19-acre campus.

Ravindra M Keni, the first dean of the institution, told The Times of India that AICTE had proposed autonomous status for polytechnic institutions that are over 25 years old. “Many colleges applied. In the first round, 100 institutions were shortlisted, which was further narrowed down to 15 in the second round. We have already completed one semester after becoming an autonomous institution,” he said. He added that nearly 500 students are admitted annually across eight three-year diploma courses.

Explaining the factors that helped KPT secure autonomy, Keni said the institution has consistently recorded 100 per cent admissions and placements for its graduates. He also noted its strong performance in sports, with the college emerging champions for 12 consecutive years, along with active student participation in NCC and NSS activities.

Autonomous status allows KPT to design industry-oriented curricula, conduct examinations, prepare question papers, and manage academic documentation independently. The institution can also directly collaborate with industries and receive priority funding from AICTE or the Ministry of Education. While academic autonomy has been granted, financial control will continue to rest with the state government.

“There will be separate committees for examinations, question paper setting, boards of studies, and boards of examiners. The institution will now have the freedom to conduct admissions without government notifications and issue its own marks cards,” Keni said, adding that new academic initiatives would be planned after a year of functioning under the autonomous framework.

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