BENGALURU: The state cabinet sub-committee set up to study the performance and financial condition of the State’s universities deciding to recommend closure of nine of 10 new universities set up by the previous BJP regime, has evoked mixed reactions among education experts.
While some experts oppose the closure, saying the state needs more universities to increase Gross Enrolment Ratio (GER) in higher education, others opine that the very idea of having a ‘one-district-one-university’ policy is flawed and implemented hurriedly. The sub-committee headed by Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar hinted at shutting down nine of 10 new universities -- Koppal, Bagalkot, Haveri, Kodagu, Hassan, Chamarajanagar, Nrupathunga, Mandya and the Maharani cluster, excluding Bidar.
Speaking to TNIE, development educationist VP Niranjanaradhya said, “If we look at the order to start new universities in 2022, better we close them and identify neighbourhood universities by notifying districts.”
He said the new universities “were set up hurriedly, lacking any vision and scientific basis, and were flawed and nonsensical”.
“The concept of having a school in every village holds good for school-level education. However, the policy of one-district-one-university in line with the National Education Policy 2020 doesn’t hold good for higher education as universities are centres of excellence, they need infrastructure and resources for students to learn and improve their knowledge and skills. Without providing any basic infrastructure and faculty, how can universities operate?” he questioned.
He suggested that it would be a good thing for the government to rationalise and let people know the reasons for closure, as people may take it emotionally that the current government is closing down new universities.
A former vice-chancellor, who did not wish to be named, said the starting point of opening new universities was itself rushed and done hurriedly. “With the new universities, the existing ones too were affected, especially in self-financing.
While NEP 2020 batted for setting up of new universities wherever possible and feasible, nowhere did it mandate that universities have to be set up everywhere, which is how it was interpreted in Karnataka, leading to the opening of 10 universities in a tearing hurry,” he said, and suggested that it is sensible to close the universities without affecting students in any way.
Former Bangalore University vice-chancellor Venugopal KR vehemently opposed the idea of closure of universities and said, “The Gross Enrolment Ratio (GER) in higher education is around 28 per cent, and to improve it, we need universities. We need public universities as everyone cannot afford the fees in private universities, which we cannot regulate.”
Citing financial constraints to close down the new universities as not justifiable, as both the State and Union governments must invest heavily in the education sector, Venugopal said, “The country needs 2,500 universities, from the existing 1,100 odd ones to achieve 50 per cent GER. To reach there, we need new universities.”