A committee, comprising of educationists and senior bureaucrats, has come out with a series of recommendations and a multi-pronged approach to improve the Gross Enrolment Ratio (GER) and the quality of higher education in the Hyderabad-Karnataka region.
The seven-member body, chaired by senior academician and the former Vice-Chancellor (VC) of Gulbarga University B.G. Mulimani, at present the VC of BLDE University at Vijayapura, has Gulbarga University vice-chancellor S.R. Niranjana, pro-Vice-Chancellor of the Central University of Karnataka G.R. Naik, vice-chancellor of the University of Agriculture Sciences, Raichur, P.S. Salimath, C. Renukaprakasad, Regional Commissioner and secretary of Hyderabad Karnataka Region Development Board (HKRDB) Amlan Aditya Biswas and economist Chaya Degaonkar as members.
The committee, after a detailed study and numerous discussions with cross-sections of society, finalised its 112-page report and submitted it to the Karnataka Higher Education Council a few days ago. According to sources, Higher Education Minister Basavaraj Rayareddy was highly appreciative about the findings and receptive to the recommendations of the committee.
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To increase the GER of higher education in the Hyderabad-Karnataka region, which is at its lowest of less than 10 per cent of the population in the age group of 18 to 23 in the region, the committee has suggested recommendations such as the improvement of the quality of education at SSLC and PU levels, an increase in the pass percentage levels, the expansion of educational institutions in government and aided sectors and the extending of low cost education at the higher education level to students of poor families.
The committee has also recommended providing financial assistance for the students from BPL families to bear the initial cost in the form of loan or minimum financial assistance equivalent to entry cost. The provision should also be made for large number of scholarships for different categories of students at degree, PG and research levels by generating resources through CSR initiatives, philanthropic grants, education cess and others, it stated.
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The committee has also come out with a scheme for the introduction of the ‘earn while you learn’ option in colleges and universities, stating that outsourced work by the government can be undertaken by the students on a part-time basis. Opening more skill-based educational institutions focused on specialised polytechnics in animal husbandry at Raichur, fisheries in Yadgir, food processing in Kalaburagi, Raichur and Koppal and agro-engineering and entrepreneurship in the region, and specialised quality education centres that offer degree and diploma courses in para-medical, food and nutrition fields was recommended.
The committee also said that students of the region should get concessions and privileges on par with the North-Eastern students. The government should also establish a Directorate of Skill Development and Non-Formal Education and more community colleges. The HKRDB should also have a separate budget for higher education and its promotion.