Karnataka’s Higher Education Minister, Dr MC Sudhakar has informed the Legislative Council that a detailed report will be presented to the Cabinet to determine the future of the nine universities that the congress proposed to close now.
These universities were established by the previous BJP government. Addressing the issue, Sudhakar condemned the Opposition for misleading stakeholders with false claims that the government had decided to close nine out of the ten universities.
He clarified that no such decision has been made and that several options were still being considered. Congress proposed to close or merge Hassan University, Chamarajanagar University, Haveri University, Kodagu University, Koppal University, Bagalkot University, Maharani Cluster University in Bengaluru, Mandya University, and Nrupatunga University citing financial constraints. They claimed that only Bidar University was found to be viable and will continue operations.
Both Opposition and ruling party members shared their views on the fate of these universities. Sudhakar explained that the matter had been thoroughly discussed by a Cabinet sub-committee. “Based on the committee’s recommendations, the Higher Education and Finance Departments will jointly prepare a comprehensive report for the Cabinet. The Chief Minister and ministers will then make an informed decision,” he stated.
The Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP), a student organisation, over the past two months staged protests, accusing the government of risking students’ futures for political reasons while channeling the money into doling out freebies.
Meanwhile, Sudhakar said that there are currently 2,800 vacant positions across 32 universities, stressing that this issue is not solely the responsibility of the current government. He added that the Chief Minister has approved the recruitment of necessary staff while eliminating redundant positions. “The government is already spending Rs 950 crore annually on salaries for permanent university staff, along with pension expenses covering 50% of retired staff’s benefits,” the minister concluded.
Also read: Karnataka: Committee to look into revision of Universities Act
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