It is a tense time for the management of the 600-odd colleges affiliated to Bangalore University (BU). In an unprecedented move, the Academic Council of the varsity, at its meeting here on Thursday, refused to approve the reports of all 20 Local Inquiry Committees (LICs) recommending affiliation renewal or cancellations.
Interestingly, this year’s LICs were headed by Syndicate members instead of Academic Council members.
The reports received stinging criticism from the council members for being inadequate.
The council resolved to give the process 15 days, during which the LICs are expected to resubmit the reports, even in Kannada (the grammar in the reports was also criticised). Another meeting will be convened where the chairpersons will also be present, after which the reports will be approved or disapproved.
‘Already late’
But the chairpersons are apprehensive about the effect the delay may have on the admission process. Syndicate member D.S. Krishna said the LIC he headed took 12 days to visit 32 colleges. “It is already late for approval. All other universities in the State have submitted the LIC reports to the government. There is no time for revisiting the colleges,” he added.
However, Vice-Chancellor N. Prabhu Dev allayed fears that the calendar of events could be affected by the development.
Government colleges
When Dr. Prabhu Dev informed the council that the government had ordered relaxation of parameters for affiliated government colleges, some council members questioned the need for it. Finally, the council was coaxed into granting leniency for government colleges offering undergraduate courses as they are preferred by a large number of rural and economically and socially backward students.
However, for government postgraduate colleges, the council voted for a dialogue with the Department of Collegiate Education to check for ways to ensure minimum infrastructure. A committee will be formed to inspect PG government colleges and a report will be submitted in three months.
The discussion about affiliation has come full circle since last year, when the same concerns rocked the council meeting. A committee headed by council member Jyothi Vijay, formed last year to suggest new parameters for inspections, submitted its report.
