MHRD accords university status to two colleges in State

The Ministry of Human Resource Development (MHRD) has accorded university status to Mandya Government Degree College and cluster university status to Maharani Science College for Women, Bengaluru, said Higher Education Minister T.B. Jayachandra on Friday.

The Minister told presspersons here that a proposal made in this regard by the State Higher Education Council had been approved by the MHRD.

The cluster university comprises Maharani Science College for Women, Maharani’s Arts, Commerce and Management College for Women, and Smt. VHD Home Science College.

The move is aimed at granting these colleges complete academic autonomy and improve the standards of higher education in the State besides bringing down the workload and administrative pressure on the existing universities, he said.

All colleges under one cluster would have their own pattern of question papers and evaluation system.

Following the grant of status, both these universities would get a grant of Rs. 55 crore each. While 65 per cent of this grant would be given by the Centre, the remaining amount would be given by the State government, the Minister said.

Under the Rashtriya Uchchatar Shiksha Abhiyan (RUSA), Karnataka has got the highest allocation so far. Of the total allocation of Rs. 1,300 crore for the abhiyan, Karnataka had been allocated Rs. 395 core, of which Rs. 65 crore had already been released, he said.

According to RUSA guidelines, the MHRD is planning to release Rs. 55 crore to each cluster university.