CASK Wednesday, October 9th 2013:
Many Catholic colleges are among the ten autonomous colleges in Karnataka, including Bangalore-based Jyoti Nivas and Mount Carmel colleges, are among 45 institutions nationwide which will soon get greater autonomy and the power to award degrees.
This was decided by the Human Resource Development (HRD) Ministry in Delhi in September7, 2013, at a meeting with principals of select autonomous colleges.
St Joseph’s College, Bangalore, KLE Society’s P C Jabin Science College, Hubli, Sri Dharmasthala Manjunatheshwara College, Dakshina Kannada, and KLE Society’s Lingaraj College, Belgaum, are the other autonomous colleges to enter the select list.
Mangalore-based School of Social Work and St Aloysius College, besides JSS College of Arts, Commerce and Science and St Philomena’s College in Mysore are also in the list.
Eleven autonomous colleges from Tamil Nadu, the highest from any state, were also selected. The list features three institutes from Tiruchirappalli, Jamal Mohammed College, National College and St Joseph’s College.
Kongunadu Arts and Science College and PSGR Krishnammal College in Coimbatore, Vellalar College for Women, Erode, Loyala College Nungambakkam, Chennai, Fatima College, Madurai, The Standard Fireworks Rajaratnam College for Women, Sivakasi, St Xavier’s College, Tirunelveli and AVC College, Mannampandal, are the other colleges from the state.
Nine colleges from HRD Minister M M Pallam Raju’s home state of Andhra Pradesh made it to the list, including Andhra Loyal College and P B Siddartha College of Arts and Science in Viajayawada, Sir C R Reddy College, Eluru and Sri Yerramilli Narayana Murthy College in the west Godavari district.
All 45 institutes are Grade A colleges accredited with the National Assessment and Accreditation Council (NAAC). They are also recognised as centres with potential for excellence by the University Grants Commission (UGC). These were the two main criteria for granting them the power to award degree.
The ministry thus paved the way for according a similar status to other autonomous colleges if they fulfil the two criteria. The ministry will also bring an amendment to the UGC Act to give autonomous colleges the power to grant degree. There are 441 autonomous colleges in the country.
“We will provide them three different routes. Those functioning for the last 15 years can either come in for degree-granting powers through deemed to be university route, or become a state university or get an autonomous university status under the UGC Act, provided they fulfil the basic criteria of NAAC accreditation with Grade A and CPE status by the UGC,” a ministry official said.
Commenting on this development, Fr. Swebert D’Silva, Principal, St. Aloysius College said:” Henceforth, we need not wait for long for the University to seek approval to start innovative courses which are relevant.” It may be recalled that Fr. Denzil Lobo, Rector St. Aloysius College Institutions, had recently, while addressing the AGM of St. Aloysius College Alumni Association, had hinted at the college becoming an independent University in a couple of years.
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