All eyes may be on Raj Bhavan to see if Bangalore University Vice-Chancellor N. Prabhu Dev’s resignation is accepted by Governor and Chancellor H.R. Bhardwaj. But parallel to these developments but not totally unconnected to them, the government is chalking out the route to divide the university into two before a new vice-chancellor takes over.
Sources in the Higher Education Ministry have confirmed that the government is serious about implementing the plan to bifurcate the university for better administration.
The modalities would be worked out by October-end after the Cabinet meeting in Gulbarga.
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“The norms of the University Grants Commission (UGC) will be followed during bifurcation,” according to the sources.
“The plan is to give the proposal shape before the next vice-chancellor is appointed. A meeting will be called soon in this connection. It is a large university (over 654 colleges are affiliated to it) and bifurcation will make it easy to manage it (the university),” the sources added.
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Dr. Prabhu Dev had opposed the bifurcation plan. The long-pending plan is to divide the university into a new Bangalore University at Hoskote on the outskirts of the city and converting the Jnana Bharati campus into Bangalore South University.
In January 2011, the Executive Committee of the Karnataka State Higher Education Council approved a proposal according to which, the new Bangalore University would comprise colleges in the taluks of Bangalore North, Hoskote, Devanahalli, Doddaballapur and all taluks of Chickballapur and Kolar districts.
Bangalore South
The new Bangalore South University on Jnana Bharati, which would have to start from scratch, would cover Bangalore South, Bangalore East and Anekal taluk of Bangalore Urban district, Nelamangala taluk of Bangalore Rural district, and all taluks of Ramanagaram district.