The Hindu : Karnataka / Bangalore News : Higher education in the knowledge capital is now in a deep trough

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Thursday, Jun 19, 2008
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Karnataka

Karnataka - Bangalore

Higher education in the knowledge capital is now in a deep trough

Deepa Kurup

The number of students from outside Karnataka opting for studies in the State is on the decline

Karnataka has 121 private engineering colleges and 11 government colleges
Of the 33 medical colleges in the State, only 10 are run by the Government

— Photo: Sampath Kumar G.P.

STEPPING STONE: Students and their parents outside the CET Cell in Bangalore early this year.

BANGALORE: To say that Karnataka, and Bangalore in particular, was a hub of professional education would have been an understatement five years ago.

However, the special trains that used to be commissioned from different places in North India have stopped and the number of students migrating has dwindled.

With other States getting as many professional colleges if not more, following the private model pioneered by the State, Bangalore does not stand as tall as it used to.

What is it that attracted the many bright young minds to the city from across the country?

If growth has indeed reached a plateau, what are the implications for the future of professional education?

Though the number of students from outside the State opting for studies here has been decreasing, partly because other States have emulated the private education model pioneered by T.M.A. Pai in Manipal, the numbers are still significant.

This year, for example, 61,885 students appeared for the COMED-K (Consortium of Medical, Engineering and Dental Colleges of Karnataka) test.

The city, with its “scientific culture”, enhanced by the presence of top notch research institutes such as IISc, and large public sector research establishments, hosts 55 engineering colleges, 12 medical colleges and 23 dental colleges.

Catalysed by the IT (information technology) revolution which created job opportunities, the number of engineering colleges skyrocketed from 66 to 112 in the academic year 2000-2001.

“More jobs in the State meant better placements for students and hence, a better profile for the college.

“So, several entrepreneurs invested in private colleges.

“Though there might have been profiteering, the fact is that there were many opportunities for the young,” says H.P. Khincha, Vice-Chancellor, Visvesvaraya Technological University.

Today, the State has 121 private engineering colleges, 11 government colleges and nine aided engineering colleges. Of 33 medical colleges, only 10 are run by the Government.

The private sector, profit-driven though it is, has built the skeleton of this knowledge capital.

Yet much remains to be done to ensure equity, access and even quality.

Tuition fee for all professional courses are among the highest in the country. In Karnataka, the annual fee for a “free” government medical and engineering seat is Rs. 16,700 and Rs. 18,090, respectively.

In Andhra Pradesh it is Rs. 10,000 and Rs. 11,000.

It is well known that while minority colleges retain control over 75 per cent of the seats, several vacant minority seats are converted to “management seats” to make windfall profits.

Even as the CET and COMED-K strive to maintain transparency, the economics of education ensures that the average student will start his professional career with a negative bank balance.

Of these 141 colleges, only 30 have been accredited by the National Board of Accreditation, and even that is for select programmes.

This year, 36 more colleges await approval from the All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE).

Yet, Karnataka lags behind its neighbours. Tamil Nadu has 268 engineering colleges and Andhra Pradesh 280.

While the education lobby ensured that the State had only four government colleges till 2006 when there were 116 private ones, even those government colleges were deficient in terms of faculty and placement.

“In such a situation having private institutions was a win-win situation for the government,” says N.R. Shetty, who heads the one-man regulatory committee for professional education.

The COMED-K has been negotiating with the Government for an increase in fee for government quota seats.

While the Government may try to negotiate to equalise the government quota fee to the fee charged in its own colleges, private managements maintain that the fee structure is an impediment to their development.

“With the Government almost doubling salaries of medical faculty, we have had to follow suit. Our additional expenditure for a class of 150 is Rs. 5 crore. Where will we raise this money from?” asks COMED-K executive secretary S. Kumar.

Most colleges claim that they are now sustaining themselves on increased fee in the NRI quota. With an increasing number of professional colleges applying for deemed university status, options for subsidised education will narrow further.

This year, the Government has lost 100 medical and 100 dental seats after J.S.S. College of Medicine, Mysore, and Sri Siddhartha College, Tumkur, acquired deemed university status following three other institutions in the previous year.

The ongoing Government-private institutions tussle over seats is likely to lower the quality bar.

While the number of students applying to colleges in the State has increased by 36,000 in the past four years, only 25 engineering colleges have been added to the existing number.

Though the State has streamlined the admissions procedure, both medical and technical education are in need of quality control.

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