Mangalore University
Credit: DH Photo
Mangaluru: The Academic Council of Mangalore University on Saturday approved the affiliation of four new colleges for the academic year 2026–27. The meeting was chaired by Vice-Chancellor Prof P L Dharma.
The newly approved colleges are: Mangala College of Management and Science at Pedamale village in Neermarga, for a certificate course in Yogic Sciences with an intake of 60 students; Nethrajyothi College at Kinnimulki, for a BSc in Food Nutrition and Dietetics with an intake of 60 students; Adyar Intellectuals College at Adyar, offering Bachelor of Arts courses in English, Journalism and Psychology with an intake of 30 students; and Sham Institute, approved to offer BCA with an intake of 60 students.
Though Prestige School of Management and Innovation at Jeppinamogaru had applied for affiliation to start a new college, approval was not granted as the institution does not possess a building. At present, it is running a school and a PU college. The Local Inspection Committee had directed the management to complete construction of the building and apply for affiliation next year.
In-charge Registrar and Director of the College Development Council (CDC), Prof. Ganesh Sanjeev, said that meeting the minimum building requirement is mandatory for starting a new college.
Prof Dharma said the university had received 140 applications for the affiliation process for 2026–27, including 33 government colleges and 102 private colleges. Three colleges — Anjuman First Grade College, Jokatte; Prerana College, Kodialbail; and Shree Bharathi College, Nanthoor — did not apply for affiliation.
He said 131 colleges had applied for continuation of affiliation, 21 colleges for extension of affiliation, 28 colleges for permanent continuation of affiliation, and 11 colleges for new permanent affiliation. A total of 160 affiliated colleges come under Mangalore University in Dakshina Kannada and Udupi districts.
The Academic Council also approved the change of name of Sri Venkatramana Women’s College, Karkala, to Sri Venkatramana First Grade College, Karkala, and Shirdi Sai Degree College, Karkala, to Excellence Professional Degree College, Karkala.
The Council further approved a draft statute governing the constitution of a new cadre of senior laboratory assistants by upgrading 30% of the permanent sanctioned posts of laboratory assistants, as well as a draft statute relating to the posts of chief photographer and photographer-cum-artist in Mangalore University.
Fire, building safety mandatory
Prof Dharma said the government has made building safety and fire safety mandatory for college buildings. As per the directions, colleges must have fire safety equipment, including fire extinguishers on every floor, and staff must be trained to handle them.
The government has made it clear that compliance with fire safety norms is mandatory for renewal and extension of affiliation, and institutions that fail to follow the guidelines will face difficulties in securing approvals.
Harvard Institute of Fire and Safety Engineering, Kankanady, has failed to obtain fire safety and building safety clearances from the competent authority. When the agenda regarding permission to shift the college to a new venue came up for discussion, officials said the college had shifted without informing the university.
“We cannot compromise on government policy,” Prof Dharma said. In the interest of students, it was decided to direct the college management to submit fire safety documents by the end of this month to enable the university to upload them on the UUCMS portal for government approval.