BU council to appeal against Syndicate decision on B.Ed. colleges

Barely a day after Bangalore University’s Syndicate decided to grant 55 B.Ed. colleges that were recommended for disaffiliation by the B.Ed. Task Force a three months’ breather, the Academic Council resolved to challenge this. At the council’s meeting in Bangalore on Friday, its members decided to write to the government against the Syndicate’s decision.

Council member Jyothi Vijay said the Syndicate did not have the powers to affiliate or disaffiliate colleges. “They cannot alter the recommendations of the task force,” she added.

Government nominee to the council and MLC Ramachandra Gowda suggested that owing to the “limited powers of the Academic Council”, it would be better to write to the government against the Syndicate’s decision.

New syllabus

The council also approved the revamping of the syllabus for the faculty of science, engineering and arts. The council also approved a revised syllabus for BU’s distance education courses and providing the students with study material. In a previous council meeting, it was decided not to give study material due to their poor quality.

It was also resolved to form a committee of Deans to ascertain the viability of establishing “schools” of five-year integrated courses. The discussion started with the committee, headed by Department of Science Dean G. Mohan Kumar, laying down the statutes for the same. Acting Vice-Chancellor N. Rangaswamy said it was important to catch up with the national “school concept” and also revitalising the study of basic sciences.

However, the tepid progress made by the existing integrated courses offered by BU prompted the formation of the committee.

To deal with another course with few takers — M.Sc. Molecular Biology — the council decided to bring down the fee from Rs. 75,000 per year to Rs. 15,915 per year from 2013-14 to attract more students. A separate committee will also be formed to review the present state of all the departments so as to prepare for the fresh assessment and accreditation by the National Assessment and Accreditation Council, scheduled next year.