In conversation with DH's Pavan Kumar H, the State Higher Education Minister C N Ashwath Narayan explains what the future of universities will look like in the state, outlining the government's plan to digitise higher education.
Minimal campus
Universities, in the future, will be sleekly staffed, smart, digitally connected and spread over a limited space. They will cater to the future needs of the youth. That is the reason for the state government’s move to start eight new universities in educationally backward areas of Chamarajnagar, Bidar, Haveri, Hassan, Kodagu, Mandya, Koppala and Bagalkot Districts with limited resources.
What is the duty of universities: Conduct examinations, evaluation, formulate syllabus and monitor the functioning of affiliated colleges. Then why do they need such huge land and staff?
With advances in technology — with online applications and examinations, there is no need for such huge office spaces.
Minimal staff
The universities in the future would have a maximum of 25 non-teaching staff members.
As per the National Educational Policy, the government's intention was to make all universities multi-disciplinary, with limited affiliations. In the future, we want to strengthen all government institutions by making them autonomous; else they will become irrelevant. Universities should start believing that they have a competition and need to perform to excel.
Universities should also be of quality over quantity. There are more than 6,000 teaching staff (guest lecturers) in various universities, in future even if can retain 5 per cent of this total strength we can manage the universities.
Research
The current funds would meet functioning demands, other than salaries and pension grants, there is no need for other expenses. When private colleges and universities can take up research work through collaborations with industries and companies, why can our traditional universities not do the same?
Many universities are collaborating with industries or using CSR funds, alumni funds and other means to pursue research. This is what the western universities are doing; why can’t we?
Revenue
Universities should come up with their own means of generating revenue. Currently, the lion's share of the university’s revenue goes into paying salaries. We will continue to do so for public universities. The universities are getting affiliation fees from college and receipts from students, which is more than sufficient for administrative and development works.