26% rise in Karnataka PU colleges in five years

Bengaluru: There is a 26% increase in the number of PU colleges in Karnataka in the past five years. The situation is not all hunky-dory as the numbers have thrown up worrisome trends. According to the Department of PU Education, as on January 1, 2017, Karnataka has 5,004 PU colleges, up from 3,949 in 2012. Stakeholders said the increase in the number is lopsided. There are 2,828 private unaided PU colleges, 1,204 government colleges, 797 aided colleges, 162 bifurcated colleges and 13 BBMP colleges. The corresponding numbers in 2012 were 1,933, 1,202, 636, 165 and 13. While the increase in private unaided PU colleges has been phenomenal, it is almost nil in the case of government institutions. "The government has, in the recent past, permitted about 1,700 private colleges to open in the name of liberalization. The student strength in government PU colleges continues to suffer because of this," KR Manjunath, principal of MES PU College, BTM Layout, and secretary, Karnataka State Pre-University College Principals' Association, told TOI. In a report submitted to the government on the proliferation of private unaided PU colleges, Manjunath has pointed out that the process of seeking permission to open new PU colleges is, perhaps, flawed. "It has become easy to seek permission for opening a new PU college," he has said. "These days, colleges are opening up in commercial complexes, dilapidated buildings and with smaller classrooms as well," the report has added. "Many of the new-age PU colleges with integrated approach have become a trend — money-making centres. They run for nearly 10-12 hours with a lot of pressure on students. This is not quality education," the report said, adding: "The fees to these institutions are extremely high and discriminate those students who can't afford the kind of education." The shift in emphasis towards private unaided PU colleges comes against the backdrop of government institutions wallowing in apathy. There are government PU colleges without lecturers and laboratories in Bengaluru as also institutions that are operating in shifts as they have to share infrastructure like buildings with high-schools and others.