<p>At a time when the quality of higher education in state-run universities is hampered by significant issues, including severe underfunding and a massive shortage of permanent faculty, Central University of Karnataka (CUK), situated at Kadaganchi in Aland taluk, has been struggling to attract students from Karnataka despite possessing all the infrastructure.</p><p>The university authorities have attributed it to the lack of awareness, apart from the absence of student mobility to access higher education and psychological impressions of a backward region.</p><p>Established in 2009 by the Union government, the varsity has 176 permanent teaching faculty, an accommodation facility and other basic infrastructure on the 654-acre campus where over 3,200 students are studying. The university has been offering 30 different courses in PG and 15 courses in UG.</p><p>Out of a total of 24,379 students registered from across the country opting to take admission for post-graduation in CUK during the last four years since 2022-23, only 1,788 students hailed from Karnataka. A total of 2,338 students from outside the State and 585 students from Karnataka have secured admissions during this period. The university is providing 8% reservation to Kalyana Karnataka as per the special status accorded to the region under Article 371(J) of the Constitution.</p><p>Meanwhile, out of the total 25,565 students registered from across the country opting to take admission for UG courses during the last four years, only 1,751 students hailed from Karnataka during this corresponding period. A total of 1,061 students from outside the State and 222 students from Karnataka have secured admissions during this period.</p><p>The university has been offering various courses, including MTech in RF and Microwave Engineering, MA in Mass Communication and Journalism, Economics, English, Folkloristic and Tribal Studies, Hindi, History and Archaeology, Kannada, Linguistics, Public Administration and Governance, Tourism and Management, Business Administration, Banking and Financial Technology. </p><p><strong>Local reservation</strong></p><p>Educationist Z N Jagirdar, who is also a state resource person for NEET and KCET, said that the local quota concept for the State should be introduced for the Central University Entrance Test (CUET) for both UG and PG, like specific home State reservation in National Institutes of Technology (NITs). Stating that admissions were used to be given to BTech and MTech integrated courses based on Karnataka CET in the CUK at the initial stage, he said that this has been stopped after starting CUET across the country.</p><p>"The government medical colleges in the State have 15% reservation for all Indian students. Therefore, the Karnataka government should exert pressure on the UGC to get a 25% quota for local students to ensure that they get quality education from the institutes of national importance. The central universities have enough research funds, scholarships, and hostel facilities. Some seats should also be allotted to Karnataka Examination Authority (KEA) in technical courses", Jagirdar said.</p><p><strong>Awareness campaign</strong></p><p>Meanwhile, CUK Vice-Chancellor Battu Satyanarayana said that awareness will be launched to encourage more students to take admissions in the university by conducting seminars in every district apart from communicating with the State agencies like Karnataka State Higher Education Council and PU Board to give publicity after the notification is issued by the National Testing Agency (NTA). "There is a lack of awareness about the CUK among the Karnataka students. We are expecting that at least 50% of the total admissions are secured by the Karnataka students as the fee being collected by the university is negligible compared to private universities", he added.</p><p>The University has come under the National Institutional Ranking Framework (NIRF) for the first time since its establishment in 2009, and implemented NEP-2020 and also started BTech in Mathematics and Computing, Master of Education and several other courses. The university is also concentrating on the placement of students and encouraging them to participate in sports activities and yoga by establishing a stadium and gym, along with academic activities, to ensure their overall development. Focus is given to research activities apart from teaching.</p><p>"We are creating a conducive atmosphere for research by providing all infrastructure, including good laboratories, buildings and instrumentation. We regularly conduct symposiums, seminars and workshops to expose students to the latest technologies," Satyanarayana said.</p>
<p>At a time when the quality of higher education in state-run universities is hampered by significant issues, including severe underfunding and a massive shortage of permanent faculty, Central University of Karnataka (CUK), situated at Kadaganchi in Aland taluk, has been struggling to attract students from Karnataka despite possessing all the infrastructure.</p><p>The university authorities have attributed it to the lack of awareness, apart from the absence of student mobility to access higher education and psychological impressions of a backward region.</p><p>Established in 2009 by the Union government, the varsity has 176 permanent teaching faculty, an accommodation facility and other basic infrastructure on the 654-acre campus where over 3,200 students are studying. The university has been offering 30 different courses in PG and 15 courses in UG.</p><p>Out of a total of 24,379 students registered from across the country opting to take admission for post-graduation in CUK during the last four years since 2022-23, only 1,788 students hailed from Karnataka. A total of 2,338 students from outside the State and 585 students from Karnataka have secured admissions during this period. The university is providing 8% reservation to Kalyana Karnataka as per the special status accorded to the region under Article 371(J) of the Constitution.</p><p>Meanwhile, out of the total 25,565 students registered from across the country opting to take admission for UG courses during the last four years, only 1,751 students hailed from Karnataka during this corresponding period. A total of 1,061 students from outside the State and 222 students from Karnataka have secured admissions during this period.</p><p>The university has been offering various courses, including MTech in RF and Microwave Engineering, MA in Mass Communication and Journalism, Economics, English, Folkloristic and Tribal Studies, Hindi, History and Archaeology, Kannada, Linguistics, Public Administration and Governance, Tourism and Management, Business Administration, Banking and Financial Technology. </p><p><strong>Local reservation</strong></p><p>Educationist Z N Jagirdar, who is also a state resource person for NEET and KCET, said that the local quota concept for the State should be introduced for the Central University Entrance Test (CUET) for both UG and PG, like specific home State reservation in National Institutes of Technology (NITs). Stating that admissions were used to be given to BTech and MTech integrated courses based on Karnataka CET in the CUK at the initial stage, he said that this has been stopped after starting CUET across the country.</p><p>"The government medical colleges in the State have 15% reservation for all Indian students. Therefore, the Karnataka government should exert pressure on the UGC to get a 25% quota for local students to ensure that they get quality education from the institutes of national importance. The central universities have enough research funds, scholarships, and hostel facilities. Some seats should also be allotted to Karnataka Examination Authority (KEA) in technical courses", Jagirdar said.</p><p><strong>Awareness campaign</strong></p><p>Meanwhile, CUK Vice-Chancellor Battu Satyanarayana said that awareness will be launched to encourage more students to take admissions in the university by conducting seminars in every district apart from communicating with the State agencies like Karnataka State Higher Education Council and PU Board to give publicity after the notification is issued by the National Testing Agency (NTA). "There is a lack of awareness about the CUK among the Karnataka students. We are expecting that at least 50% of the total admissions are secured by the Karnataka students as the fee being collected by the university is negligible compared to private universities", he added.</p><p>The University has come under the National Institutional Ranking Framework (NIRF) for the first time since its establishment in 2009, and implemented NEP-2020 and also started BTech in Mathematics and Computing, Master of Education and several other courses. The university is also concentrating on the placement of students and encouraging them to participate in sports activities and yoga by establishing a stadium and gym, along with academic activities, to ensure their overall development. Focus is given to research activities apart from teaching.</p><p>"We are creating a conducive atmosphere for research by providing all infrastructure, including good laboratories, buildings and instrumentation. We regularly conduct symposiums, seminars and workshops to expose students to the latest technologies," Satyanarayana said.</p>