BENGALURU: Observing the decision to close nine universities in the state as irrational and politically-motivated, BJP leaders on Friday argued that it would deprive students from poor and rural backgrounds of their right to education. This statement was made during a roundtable meeting with education experts, organised by the ABVP. The meeting was held on Friday at the FKCCI auditorium.
The roundtable was attended by BJP state president BY Vijayendra, former higher education minister Dr CN Ashwath Narayan, MLC CT Ravi, former minister Arvind Limbavali, retired vice-chancellors, council members of various universities, and ABVP leaders.
Limbavali questioned the composition of the government’s sub-committee, which was formed to oversee the closure of these universities. He raised concerns about the lack of educational experts in the committee and criticised the absence of any logical justification from the experts regarding the decision.
Emphasising that these universities were established based on the recommendations of the National Knowledge Commission, Limbavali questioned why the sub-committee had not taken any action against sub-standard private universities. He argued that after decentralisation, the gross enrolment ratio has increased, and shutting down public universities only benefits private players in the education sector.
Moreover, all the universities facing closure are located in Chamarajanagar, Haveri, and Koppal districts that already lack proper access to education. Shutting down universities in these areas will further worsen the situation. Instead of closing them, the state government should focus on improving education in these districts.