'New sub centre of Mangalore University to come up in Udupi'

Udupi, January 28: A sub centre of Mangalore University will come up Udupi district soon, according to Higher Education Minister Dr V S Acharya.

Dr Acharya, after inaugurating the newly constructed building of Post Graduate study centre and extension structure of the college at Tenkaneediyur First Grade College here on Friday, said that the sub centres of Mangalore University are already set up at Madikeri and Mangalore.

He said the State government is spending never like before on educational sector. He informed that there is demand for as many as 700 faculties in various colleges across Karnataka. However, at present, the revenue department has approved the recruitment of as many as 250 staffs. Until the vacancies are filled, the shortage of teachers will be substituted by guest lectures. There are nearly as many as 6,000 to 7,000 guest faculties performing the job without any sort of distractions to the teaching process, he added.

Dr Acharya said that there were only 141 colleges and 2 universities during the year 1956, the year in which Karnataka state was formed. At present, there are nearly 32 universities and about 2,350 colleges across the State. Plans have been chalked out to open 33rd university in Bangalore by next academic year so as to make the process of examinations and evaluations of the colleges coming under Bangalore University much easier and faster. All these measures have added extra burden on the government in its attempt to ensure good structure besides sufficient number of staffs and equipments to the colleges. As much as Rs 557 crore is sanctioned for additional lecture halls in first grade colleges in the State.

Nearly 75 to 80 per cent government colleges in the state are overcrowded. The deployment of available staff is been a problem owing to over crowdedness of the students. However, when it comes to High Schools, Karnataka maintains the good standard ratio of teacher and student in the country. It is 1 teacher for 28 students. In urban areas it is much lesser, he added.

The State government has envisioned plans to double the enrolment ratios of the students in higher education. It is mere 20 per cent of the degree holders who go for post graduate studies. There is as many as 1.38 crore population in the educational system, he added.