State records 20 pc growth in higher education enrolment

Science streams in First Grade Colleges in Balmatta, Car Street, Puttur and Belthangadi from next academic year

Addressing media persons after inaugurating the ‘counselling for redeployment of college teachers’ organised by the Department of Collegiate Education in association with Association of Mangalore University College Teachers (AMUCT) at St Aloysius College here, she said that the Science streams will be introduced in four colleges in Dakshina Kannada, three in Udupi and one in Kodagu district. The department is initiating several measures to improve the quality of college education, she said adding that the work of 100 new college buildings in the State have already been started.

She said, “the Central government had asked the State to achieve the target of 30 per cent in the enrolment of students for higher education by 2020. The department will strive to enroll atleast 20 per cent of the students for higher education in the State against the current percentage of 11.6,” she said. The State had recorded 20 per cent growth in the enrolment for higher education in 2009-10 compared to the previous year, she said adding that the increase might be because of the recession and subsequent unemployment situation in IT and BT sectors.

New programmes

She said that the department has already introduced four separate programmes to increase the quality of education and for the increase in enrolment for higher education. The ‘Aptamitra’ programme has been introduced in 100 colleges in the State, wherein students and teachers can share resources including laboratory, library, playground etc with another nearby college. The programmes allow colleges to exchange students and teachers to share their knowledge, she added.  Through ‘Sahayog’ programme the department is aiming to increase the employability of Arts stream students in various sectors. Colleges are being provided with high speed broadband internet through department’s connectivity programme ‘Samparka’. Meanwhile, Students Adalat will be introduced in colleges to sort out issues and problems related to students and teachers.

Redeployment of college teachers

Talking about the counselling organised for the redeployment of college teachers, Nagambikadevi said that out of 51 college teachers, who were in dilemma after the PU college bifurcation, in the district, 38 will be redeployed to government and aided colleges through counselling. Remaining 13 teachers have already been redeployed in their same institution directly, she added.  

Additional Director of the Collegiate Education Department Prof V Kamalamma, Joint Director Prof Gangadharaiah, Mangalore zonal Joint Director Prof T H Eeranna, Federation of University and College Teachers Association of Karnataka Prof A M Narahari, AMUCT President Prof Joslyn Lobo and General Secretary Prof K V Purushotham were present.