The Union Ministry of Human Resource Development has approved seven projects of Mangalore University under the newly launched Global Initiative of Academic Network programme, according to K. Byrappa, Vice-Chancellor.
Addressing a gathering at the inauguration of a two-day Open House on the Mangalagangotri campus on Friday, he said that the university had sent 17 projects for approval under the programme.
The approval would enable the university to invite internationally known scientists, entrepreneurs and academic experts to teach students for specified periods. Interactive sessions with such experts would enlighten students and teachers.
The Vice-Chancellor said that the research output of universities in the country had come down from 70 per cent about four decades ago to 30 per cent to 35 per cent now. The share of universities had now taken over by national laboratories. Researchers and teachers in universities should seriously think over it.
The university organised the Open House for the second consecutive year to showcase the strength of its postgraduate departments, laboratories, hostels and other facilities to attract students to postgraduate courses.
A.B. Ibrahim, Deputy Commissioner, who inaugurated the programme, said that the universities should not remain as mere “memory testing centres”. “There should be rationale thinking. They should challenge the system,” he said.
Mr. Ibrahim said that universities should emerge as partners in development. They should study and take up research on issues in their surrounding.
M. Chandra Sekhar, Police Commissioner, Mangaluru, said that capabilities of an organisation would be known when showcased. He narrated an incident in which the Police Department recently took the help of the University College, Hampankatta, which arranged to teach Tulu to 84 non-Tulu speaking police personnel.
The Tulu training to the personnel helped at the station level during interaction with the people. Earlier it was an issue during communication, he said.
K.M. Lokesh, Registrar (administration) and T.N. Sreedhara, co-ordinator, Open House, were present.
