Higher Education Minister G T Devegowda has announced that no college will be allowed to install new statues on its premises henceforth.

This was announced to put an end to the ongoing Lord Buddha-Goddess Saraswati idol row on Bangalore University campus. A statue of Buddha was installed at a location in the varsity where a statue of Goddess Saraswathi was to be installed.

At a Higher Education Council meeting on Monday, Devegowda said that while the Saraswati idol will stay, the Buddha idol will be removed from the university.

Pointing out that several colleges were given affiliation by universities without prior permission from the government, the council decided to constitute an expert committee to look into the affiliations. "The department is trying to reverse what seems like 'fait accompli' by streamlining the colleges and taking the affiliation process online," said Anil Kumar, additional chief secretary, department of higher education.

Along with private accreditation agencies, the state government will have its own state-level quality assurance committees which will work on similar lines as the National Assessment and Accreditation Council. "This private-empanelled agency will give us better state-level information and not just accredit colleges, but also help them reach the required standard," said Anil Kumar.

There were a few other decisions that were taken at the meeting. Universities and colleges will have to compulsorily teach yoga, said minister GT Devegowda. Officials, however, said the details were yet to be decided. They also decided that placement centres will be established in colleges. Skill development centres will come up in universities The council has also resolved to appoint 310 UG principals and 3,800 teachers across the state.

While a Rs 50 crore infrastructure tenders have been called for colleges a total of Rs 100 crore will be allocated towards infrastructure for seamless education from LKG to Class 12 in 100 schools, the council decided.

Three VC committees will be formed to set guidelines for appointment of guest lecturers. The Education Department, the officials said, will bring uniformity in fee structure and admission process across colleges