KARWAR: As many as nine first grade colleges established in Uttara Kannada (UK) district during the JD(S)-BJP rule in the state definitely helped the poor students to pursue higher studies.
It also eased the pressure on many private colleges, which were crowded. However, they have failed to impart quality education, thanks to lack of infrastructure.
Initially, seven colleges were sanctioned at Ankola, Kumta, Honnavar, Bhatkal, Sirsi, Joida and Siddapur. Shivanand Naik, the then minister for small scale industries, who was engaged in political upmanship with the then Kumta MLA Mohan Shetty, managed to get one more college at Baad. He also yielded to the pressure from the people of Manki village and got sanction for another college at Manki. Interestingly, both these colleges have proved to be a liability for the government with poor student strength. While there are hardly 31 students studying for first and second year of degree courses in arts at the Baad college, the student strength at the Manki college is hardly 50. The college at Joida also has poor student strength with only 23 students.
The government had to defer its decision of shifting the colleges at Baad and Joida to Kittur and Dandeli respectively, due to pressure from local people.
Interestingly, none of these nine colleges have independent buildings. Either they are housed in private buildings or in the premises of other government departments. Many of these buildings do not suit housing a college. In places like Bhatkal, there are no proper toilet facilities even for girls. The student strength in the government colleges at Sirsi, Bhatkal, Ankola and Kumta is 300 plus, whereas it is 200 plus at Honnavar and Siddapur. “This year, with the starting of third year of degree course, the strength is likely to increase up to 500.
But where is the space to accommodate them,” asks S V Naik, principal of Bhatkal government college. Same is the case in all the newlyestablished government first grade colleges in the town limits.
UGC insists that colleges should be set up within five km distance from the town in any urban area. Moreover, each college should be established on a minimum of three acres of land. But where is the land? Naik asks.
There is no sufficient revenue land available in any part of the district. Even if the land is available, red-tapism in the revenue department makes the acquisition difficult, he observes. A proposal to provide the land earmarked for Navodaya School at Bhatkal, earlier to the establishment of the government college, has been pending in the DC office for the last six months, he points out.
As regards the staff, except the principal and an office clerk or superi n t e n d e n t , there is no per manent teaching and non-teaching staff at all these nine colleges.
Except in Kumta, Sirsi and Baad, there are no peons in other colleges. The principal has to appoint locals on temporary basis for peon’s job. Teachers are part-timers. They are appointed by a committee headed by the principal of the college.
Since suitable candidates are not available, it has to compromise with the quality of teachers. Moreover, for some subjects like statistics, the teachers are not available at all. In that case, a mathematics teacher or a commerce teacher is asked to teach this subject, says Prof Gangoli, principal of Baad college. The government proposes to appoint teachers to these colleges on preference on the basis of KPSC selection this year. The problem of teacher shortage would be solved to some extent if this is done, he observes.
It may be noted that due to shortage of teaching staff, the business management course has been dropped in Ankola College. Since the fees is very less in government colleges, students prefer to join these colleges. This has affected the student strength in private colleges. For instance, the arts section is on the verge of closure in G C College, Ankola due to poor student strength.
Thus the establishment of new first grade colleges has been a bane in the district, at least for now.
