Date:30/05/2006 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2006/05/30/stories/2006053022580400.htm

Karnataka - Bangalore

Industries to be consulted on syllabi for PG courses

Staff Reporter

Constant interaction between the university and industries needed: Ranganath

The aim is to equip students with skills for jobs
Research at State universities has been relegated
Teachers have less time for research compared with their counterparts in Central universities

Reservation of seats for students from other universities will provide for exchange of ideas

BANGALORE: Vice-Chancellor of Bangalore University (BU) H.A. Ranganath on Monday said he was for constant interaction between the university and industries for deciding on syllabi for postgraduate courses.

Addressing presspersons after taking charge from acting Vice-Chancellor B.G. Sudha on Jnanabharathi campus here, Prof. Ranganath said: "My aim is to make my students marketable once they complete their courses."

He said the Board of Studies that prepared syllabi based on the guidelines of the University Grants Commission comprised representatives of industries, and their opinion was considered.

On new initiatives, Prof. Ranganath said he was yet to conduct a microanalysis of the ground realities at the university and only thereafter could he conceive a new venture. "My primary aim is to make Bangalore University, which is the largest university in Asia, a prominent centre of education and research," he noted.

He said research at State universities had taken a back seat. Teachers had less time for research compared with their counterparts in Central universities and national laboratories. Despite hindrances, many teachers were involved in research and published their findings, he said and urged the media to make the findings public.

Prof. Ranganath dismissed a suggestion that many research efforts were not relevant to society, and said the issue was "debatable". Merely because guidelines had been framed for conducting research, it could not be said research had lost quality, he noted.

On the Inter-University Board's recommendation to reserve 40 per cent of seats in postgraduate courses for students from other universities in Karnataka and 10 per cent of seats from outside the State, Prof. Ranganath said it would provide for exchange of ideas. However, the recommendation had to be incorporated in the admission regulations, he noted.

He declined to analyse the previous government's move to amend the Universities' Act to give itself the right to nominate persons of its choice to the Syndicates. During his term as Vice-Chancellor, M.S. Thimmappa had resisted the Government's move to nominate non-academics to the Syndicate. Later, the Governor returned an Ordinance proposed by the previous government.