• GTD plans to bring in changes from next academic year itself
• Including Principals, 5,000 lecturers posts to be filled
• VCs appointments in a month

Bengaluru:  There will be drastic changes in the undergraduate and post-graduate system of education in the State based on modern technology and the new syllabus will be introduced in the next academic year itself, said Higher Education Minister G.T. Devegowda (GTD).

Addressing a media conference here yesterday, he said that including the vacant posts of the Principals in the Colleges, 5,000 lecturers post will  also be filled.

Since the vacancies have to be filled at the earliest, the Finance Department’s approval has been sought and the appointments will be made based on merit. This process will be completed in six months, he said.

As just holding a BA degree has lost its significance in the present times, there is a thinking to revolutionise this course by converting this into vocational courses. This step is being taken as there are fewer takers for BA courses. In the light of this, basic degree courses will be given a modern touch, he said.

There is a lot of criticism that higher education is not serving the purpose it is meant for and to clear this conception, it will get a dash of modern technology so that the students can get jobs as soon as they step out into the world, he added. The syllabus for all the courses will be framed accordingly and the classes based on the new syllabus will commence from next academic year itself, he said.

Nearly 102 degree colleges in the State do not have their own permanent buildings. In a few colleges there are shortages of classrooms. The Chief Minister has sanctioned Rs.250 crore for new buildings and additional classrooms. However, this money is not enough. Hence, efforts are on to rope in major IT companies to provide basic facilities and already talks have been held with a few technocrats and industrialists. They have responded to the Government’s proposal, said Devegowda.

The VC’s posts are lying vacant in a few Universities in the State and they will be filled in a month’s time, he assured.

In order to implement all these ideas, a meeting of VCs and Registrars of all Universities in the State has been called for from Aug.1 to 3. At the same time, a Higher Education Parishad Meet will also be  held, he said.

“There is a Joint Director (JD) of Higher Education Department in Mysuru and it is true that he is a good man. However, he does not have control over the College Principals. These Principals do not listen to the JD’s words. When he visited a college recently he felt that instead of higher education being imparted, it looked like it was a den of political activities. The lecturers do not listen to the Principals, and the students do not care for the lecturers. Everyone looks like belonging to one political party or the other,” regretted Devegowda.