When the state government has opened a separate university for Sanskrit, Karnatak University is closing its Sanskrit Department along with a few others due to poor of student enrolment and financial crunch.
However, Vice-Chancellor H B Walikar has promised that though the varsity is closing its Sanskrit, French, Urdu, Anthropology and Philosophy departments, students can still enrol for the courses. After closing down the departments the faculty would be accommodated in research fields and other departments, it said.
Some students leave the courses once they get a BEd seat or a government job. Very few job opportunities for postgraduates and diploma holders in anthropology, philosophy, Sanskrit and foreign languages is another reason for the poor response.
In contrast, there has been a huge rush for MBA, MCA, MEd, MSW, MCom, PGDCA, MCom, CS in PG and BCA, BEd, BCom, BBA, BSW, BBA (Hotel and Tourism), BCom and others at the undergraduate level every year, a source said.
Till now, the University has been paying around 385 guest lecturers coming under its ambit.
It was found that four guest faculties are serving in the Foreign Language Department, two in Linguistics, four in Urdu and Persian, one in Marathi and two in Ambedkar Studies among other departments.
All India Democratic Students Organisation (AIDSO) local secretary Sharanu Gonavar said while on one side, the varsity is deciding to close down its Sanskrit Department, on the other hand the state government has opened a separate university for Sanskrit. The move is uncalled for, he said.
Meanwhile, Syndicate member Veeranna Savadi promised that since every subject was important for students, the matter would be discussed at the next meeting.
V-C Walikar said in order to get rid of the burden of paying for guest faculty, the University had decided to suspend courses with an intake of less than 10 students. The V-C said he has asked permanent teaching staff to put in extra hours for those students.
The misuse of guest faculty by permanent teaching staff has prompted the University to take such a decision, he added.