JOIN USBU set to be split into 3 smaller varsities this year
The 24-year-old demand for dividing Bangalore University (BU) into three smaller varsities to ensure better administration is set to be fulfilled soon.
The stage is all set for the formation of BU (Central) and BU (North) from the parent university which would become BU (South) hereafter.
The trifurcation was approved at a meeting chaired by Minister for Higher Education Basavaraj Rayareddy in the first week of May. The process to recruit vice-chancellors, registrars, members of the syndicate and affiliation of courses for the two new universities has begun, a senior official in the Education Department said.
The two new universities will be given grants in the special budget next year as the government didn’t allocate any funds for them in the 2017-18 budget, the official added.
The administrative office of BU (North) will come up at BU’s existing postgraduate centre in Kolar, while BU (Central) will operate out of Central College in the heart of the city. BU (South) will have the Jnanabharathi campus as its base. The permanent campus of BU (North) will be built at Amaravathi near Devanahalli. Around 57 acres of land has been sanctioned for it. Rayareddy has promised to sanction an additional 115 acres for the varsity.
“The two new universities will get new logos which will be finalised by a committee from the 14 shortlisted logos,” T D Kemparaju, Special Officer, BU (North), told DH. “Each university requires at least Rs 200 crore. A proposal has been submitted to the government seeking Rs 15 crore for BU (North) and Rs 10 crore for BU (Central) for infrastructure and manpower.”
For the time being, there is a plan to depute 100 employees from BU (South) to BU (North) and BU (Central) to get them going.
For this academic year, undergraduate students will be registered under BU (South) and later distributed among BU (North) and BU (Central) once the affiliation of colleges to these universities is worked out.
DH News Service
A demand is fulfilled
1993: Demand for trifurcation of BU
2009: Government seeks report from former vice-chancellor N Rudraiah
2012: Government decides to trifurcate the university
2015: Cabinet approves trifurcation
Who gets what?
Areas under BU (South): Vijayanagar, Padmnabhanagar, Bommanahalli, Anekal, Bengaluru South, Yeshwantpur, Rajarajeshwari Nagar, Dasarahalli, Mahalakshmi Layout, Govindarajanagar, Nelamangala, Magadi, Ramanagaram, Kanakapura and Channapatna.
Areas under BU (Central)
Shanthinagar, Byatarayanapura, Yelahanka, Malleswaram, Hebbal, Shivajinagar, Gandhinagar, Chickpet, Basavanagudi, BTM Layout, Jayanagar and Rajajinagar.
Areas under BU (North)
Kolar, Malur, KR Puram, Pulakeshinagar, Sarvagnanagar, CV Raman Nagar, Mahadevapura, Gauribidanur, Bagepalli, Chikkaballapur, Shidlaghatta, Chintamani, Devanahalli, Hoskote and Doddaballapur.
“It takes at least five years for a new university to become fully functional. It has taken five years for the government to effect the decision of trifurcation. If this is the pace of the process, what about quality?”
K R Venugopal, Principal, University Visvesvaraya College of Engineering
“Two new universities may not become functional this year. Each university needs at least 200 members of staff while the recruitment process takes up to six months. It is doubtful the government will grant Rs 400 crore in the special budget.”
Dr N Prabhu Dev, former VC, BU