Karnataka: Minister Of Higher Education Admits Government Was ‘Unaware’ Of Irregularities In VTU

Karnataka’s Minister of Education G T Devegowda has said that the government was ‘not aware’ of the irregularities committed in the Visvesvaraya Institute of Technology. He was addressing the media during the third annual convention of the Indian Council for Business Education, and an international conference on ‘Global Entrepreneurship: Emerging Opportunities and Challenges’ at Bangalore University’s Commerce Department.

Deccan Herald quoted Gowda as saying, “The Governor has formed a one-man committee to investigate the matter. The registrar has also moved the high court. Our government will act upon the order of the Governor. Only after the Governor's intervention did we get to know about the irregularities in VTU.”

He called for the creation of a skill development and employment cell in universities. He said, “Besides the regular curriculum, colleges and universities should also focus on skill development, for which skill development cells should be formed. To maintain records on placements, it's mandatory to have an employment cell in all colleges,” Deccan Herald reported.

In the upcoming state budget, the government plans to fill vacant positions, he said. Furthermore, he added, “We are planning to increase salaries by Rs 5,000 for guest faculty in the upcoming budget. We will also focus on improving engineering colleges,” Deccan Herald quoted the minister as stating.