Karnataka: Educationists hit out at gov't for allowing financial autonomy to UVCE colleges

On Saturday, March 18, educationist Prof B Narayanappa said that while the University of Visvesvaraya College of Engineering (UVCE) has been able to produce many prominent figures, it has been reduced to a commercialised version of itself due to government negligence, as stated in a report by The New Indian Express. 

He was speaking at a consortium organised by IGNITE - the All Karnataka Engineering Students' Forum, and the Engineering Colleges Faculty Association (ECFA) on the Impact of Financial Autonomy in Higher Education. "After producing many eminent engineers and scientists, now UVCE is becoming commercial only because of the negligence of the government and officials,” he said.

Similarly, several other educationists and professors echoed the same sentiments, as the government is currently in the process of formulating an IIT model for UVCE, including allowing financial autonomy to UVCE’s affiliated colleges. Commenting on this, an advisor to the government on traffic, transportation and infrastructure Prof MN Sreehari said, "The goal of modelling UVCE as IIT is good. But the government should not shy away from the responsibility of providing funds under the guise of autonomy."

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Further, he added, "If a prestigious college, like UVCE, is converted into a self-financed institution, only those with money will be able to study. The fight against educational financial autonomy should involve students, teachers and parents," as stated in a report by The New Indian Express. 

IGNITE Convenor, Abhaya Diwakar said that the government is shirking from its responsibility to provide basic facilities to its colleges. “The government is shying away from its basic responsibility of providing funds to educational institutions. To label such a college as financially autonomous is exactly to levy expensive fees on students and parents. We fear that this policy will curtail engineering education in the future,” she said.