Govt puts Senate on back burner

At a meeting of the Karnataka State Higher Education Council on Tuesday, Higher Education Minister V S Acharya admitted that there was not much enthusiasm for the proposal among the Vice-Chancellors.

A committee chaired by former BU Vice-Chancellor Prof N R Shetty, had recommended the reintroduction of the Senate.

This move would have meant holding of student elections, which has been barred for more than a decade. The Senate is a body that consists of representatives of faculty members, students, and principals that was entrusted with the administrative affairs of the university.  
Before 2000, the Senate was present in every university across the state. The powers of the Senate was usurped by the Academic Council and the Syndicate which consisted mostly of nominated members.

On the other recommendations of the NR Shetty committee, Acharya said that it would attempt to bring Visvesvaraya Technological University, Karnataka State Open University, and Kannada University under the ambit of the Karnataka State Universities Act.