From Our Special Correspondent
Daijiworld Media Network

Bengaluru, Dec 15: Universities will be established in all districts, including districts without Universities, and these universities being established with modern technology will have a maximum of 25 staff including the Vice Chancellor, said Higher Education Minister Dr C N Ashwath Narayan in Belagavi on Wednesday.

He was speaking at a function to distribute Jnanayajna Fellowships and Electronic Documentary Delivery as well as Tracking system at the Visvesvaraya Technical University (VTU) in Belagavi.

Dr Narayan said the modern technology has rendered vast university campuses with hundreds of acres of land irrelevant as all faculties could be accommodated in compact manner to deliver better results and provide quality education. The State Government is keen to establish such modern and high-tech universities in all districts, he said.

The minister also announced that the University Visvesvaraya Engineering College (UVCE) in Bengaluru will be developed on the pattern of the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT). A 10-year plan has been developed to ensure this transformation, he said.

Dr Narayan said the VTU in Belagavi with 120 acre campus should also be developed on the model of IIT. The government has asked Vice Chancellor Prof Karisiddappa to prepare an action plan within a month and the government will take a suitable decision.

The 17 government engineering colleges must be developed to ensure world class technical education, he said pointing out that the government was keen to ensure that students aspiring to get engineering education were attracted to these colleges. The government wants to grant more autonomy and establish governing boards to look after their management, he said.

VTU Vice Chancellor Prof Karisiddappa, Collegiate and Technical Education Department Commissioner P Pradeep, Registrar Prof B E Rangaswamy, Prof A S Deshpande and others participated in the function.