• Plans for free admission for transgenders, students who lost their parents to Covid-19 pandemic
• 50% concession in fees for children of KSRTC bus drivers, conductors
• Plans to seek Rs. 100 crore from State, Centre

Mysore/Mysuru: Karnataka State Open University (KSOU), Mysuru, has got National Assessment and Accreditation Council (NAAC) A+ Grade, said KSOU Vice-chancellor (VC) Prof. Sharanappa V. Halse.

VC Halse spoke to media persons in the KSOU premises this morning, to detail some of the achievements, ever since he took charge six months ago in November 2022.

Prof. Halse claimed that “Getting NAAC A+ Grade was one of the first major achievements of the University due to the continuous promotional efforts and hardwork in increasing the number of admissions, that has grown by three times touching 18,000 compared to previous year admissions in the range of 5,000 to 6,000.”

It is also hoped that, with the backing of NAAC A+ grade, the Varsity intends to tap funds to the tune of Rs. 100 crore from the State and Central Governments. The National Education Policy (NEP-2020) will also be effectively implemented, added the KSOU VC.

Informing about the plans in the offing, Prof. Halse said: “KSOU Study Centres will be set up in the remaining 23 districts in the State. While there are plans to provide free admission to transgenders and the students who lost their parents to COVID-19 pandemic and 50 percent concession in fees for the children of KSRTC bus drivers and conductors.”

Apart from the existing 64 various courses offered at the University, 51 new courses will be added in the coming years, as a proposal has been submitted in this regard. The KSOU has also been successful in getting Income Tax (IT) refund of more than Rs. 10 crore and has generated a revenue of more than Rs. 40 crore including the admission fees. Besides, a sophisticated and effective browsing centre has been established in the Central Library of KSOU, along with procurement of e-books and e-resources, he added.

The other achievements include state-of-the-art  Physics Laboratory containing the latest equipment to ensure better facilities for the students, while the work on setting up Central Instrumentation Facility is in progress and virtual lab is established, added Prof. Halse.