Vice-Chancellor of Mangalore University T.C. Shivashankara Murthy on Thursday expressed concern over the manner in which the government made its seven degree colleges to apply for the university's affiliation for 17 postgraduate courses from 2011-12.
At a meeting of the Academic Council, specially convened to discuss the matter, Prof. Murthy said the university would not overlook any procedure in this matter and approve those courses without verifying the infrastructure in those colleges.
Instruction
He instructed the colleges not to start the courses without the permission of the university. If the colleges went ahead they would have to face the consequences as the university would go by the rule book, he said.
The Vice-Chancellor said the university would not be responsible for future consequences if the colleges admitted students without its approval.
He asked five government degree colleges for which six postgraduate courses were approved in Thursday's meeting to admit students within 10 days and catch up with the academic calendar for postgraduate courses of the university. The colleges could conduct special classes on holidays to make up for the loss of classes as the classes had commenced from August 1, he said. The Vice-Chancellor said the approval for six courses was given considering the fact that there were “minimum facilities” to offer those courses.
Prof. Murthy said that according to Section 59 of Karnataka State Universities Act, 2000 the colleges would have to apply for affiliation to PG courses after the university invited applications for it. This process usually began in December or January. The university would have to publish an advertisement to this effect in at least two newspapers.
The Vice-Chancellor said the government itself had laid out certain conditions for approving the postgraduate courses in colleges.
Accordingly, they should have a minimum 10 years of permanent affiliation to the university and should have had accreditation by the National Assessment and Accreditation Council (NAAC).
He said in the usual process the government expected the universities to complete the process of granting affiliation to new colleges and new courses by March.
But in this case, the government colleges were instructed to apply late in May.
Responsibility
He said that the university had its own responsibility. If it went ahead approving all postgraduate courses without verification, it would tantamount to injustice done to students as they would not get quality education. Increasing gross enrolment ratio to higher education did not mean admitting more students for postgraduate courses. Quality would have to be maintained.
At one point, he said: “Where are we taking them (students)? Are we giving them (students) quality education? Are we doing justice to them?”
Prof. Murthy said that a national magazine in a recent survey of top 45 universities in the country had ranked Mangalore University in 38th position. Registrar (administration) K. Chinnappa Gowda, Registrar (Evaluation) P.S. Yadapadithaya and Finance Officer P. Pakkeerappa were present at the council meeting.
