47 new degree colleges to be opened next year

The State government will open 47 new degree colleges in the academic year 2014-15 across Karnataka. Of them, 23 will be women’s degree colleges.

On Friday, the government issued orders, appointing lecturers from nearby colleges as nodal officers to the proposed institutions.

The new colleges would be in addition to the three colleges approved earlier this year. The Congress government, soon after coming to power, had announced opening colleges in Sagar in Shimoga district, Bhairapura in T Narasipura in Mysore district and Dandeli in Uttara Kannada district. These colleges were to start functioning from the current academic year.

Thus, the number of colleges approved by the government this year is 50. The total number of degree colleges in the State has risen to 407. Official sources said that “sufficient” number of colleges had been allotted to backward regions.

The new colleges would be opened across the State. Local demand for colleges and recommendations by MLAs were key to approving the colleges, said Dr B N Bhagyalakshmi, Secretary, Department of Collegiate Education.

The nodal officers have been instructed to start the work immediately. They have to identify land and prepare the building plan as well as the estimation. Besides, they have to survey which courses are in demand locally and make submissions accordingly to the government, seeking permission to start the courses.

Affiliation and approval

They also have to get the affiliation and approval of the jurisdictional university. The government has also instructed the nodal officers to submit a memorandum for creation of necessary teaching and non-teaching posts and recruitment for the same.

To begin with, the government would start the colleges in rented buildings. Later, they would be shifted to permanent buildings.

A total of 180 degree colleges were approved in 2006-07 in the State but no new institutions were approved thereafter. Each college was then sanctioned 25 posts initially. The 47 new colleges are expected to be sanctioned an equal number of posts now as well.

According to official sources, the government is “open” to setting up more colleges if there is demand in any part of the State. Hence, the total number of colleges might be increased.