The Academic Council of Mangalore University in its meeting on Tuesday approved the draft statute which will way for the establishment of Department of Postgraduate Studies and Research in Tulu if the government approved the statute.
Acting Vice-Chancellor Jayaraj Amin told the meeting that the university should have created a Department of Postgraduate Studies and Research in Tulu in the university campus long ago.
“Better late than never. Now it has been decided to open a separate department by preparing the draft statute,” he said.
The agenda relating to the draft statute said that the University Evening College, a constituent college of the university at Hampankatta in the city, has been offering a postgraduate course in Tulu since the academic year 2018-19.
Tulu is being taught as the third optional language in schools in Dakshina Kannada and Udupi districts from Classes VI to X since the academic year 2010-11.
The preamble of the statute said that Tulu is one of the developed Dravidian languages with a history of more than 2,600 years. About 10 million people claim Tulu as their mother tongue. Tulu literature dates back to the 14th century, during which time it is said that epics were written in Tulu language and some of them have been published. Early Tulu literature is in Tulu script which is also called Thigalari script. The Bassel Mission used Kannada script to publish books in Tulu literature in the 19th century.
“...With the approval of the ‘regulations governing Master of Arts in Tulu (annual scheme) of Mangalore University’ the university has started Tulu post-graduate programme (at the University Evening College). To provide legitimacy and justice to the programmes the university finds it necessary to establish the Department of Postgraduate Studies and Research in Tulu at the university,” the preamble said.
The council approved the St. Aloysius College, an autonomous college under the university, to offer a post graduate programme (MA) in Public Policy and Governance.
It decided that gender sensitisation can be taught not as a separate paper or a course but as an educative programme by organising sessions through various forums in degree colleges.
