Bangalore University hikes PG course fees by up to 300%

BANGALORE: A postgraduate seat in Bangalore University will cost students more as fees have been revised from this academic year. The steepest fee hike is about 300% for science courses.


While a general-merit MA student pursuing English, History or Hindi had to pay Rs 2,150 last year, she has to cough up Rs 5,050 this year. Fees for subjects like Kannada, Dance and Drama have shot up to Rs 6,650.

The fee hike is almost three times for subjects like Social Work, for which the fee is now Rs 8,050. Fee for science subjects has gone up from Rs 2,000 to Rs 7,050.

The university has rationalized the fee structure for students under general merit, SC/ST and OBC categories. It was differential until last year. Thus, students from the reserved categories might end up coughing up more than 150% in some cases. Take MFA (Master of Fine Arts), for instance. The fee has gone up from Rs 17,940 to Rs 43,050. The costliest course is speech and hearing at Rs 89,700.

In a relief, the social welfare department will reimburse the fee paid by SC/ST students. The sports fee charged for undergraduate students has ballooned from Rs 44 to Rs 500.

For the first time, the fee has been extended to PG students, and they must shell out Rs 1,000 from now on. 

Bangalore University non-teaching staff hold strike

BANGALORE: The non-teaching staff of Bangalore University went on strike on Wednesday. They want UGC pay scales as applicable for teaching staff.

In the two-hour strike, the staff demanded UGC pay scales, as applicable for teaching staff.

The two-hour strike was held by the All-Indian University Non-Teaching Confederation in front of the administrative block at Jnanabharathi campus.

"At present, the Karnataka pay scales are applicable for us but we want UGC ones. Apart from that, we have sought representation in the syndicate and academic council. If our demands aren't met, we will go on mass casual leave on October 3," said Mahalingaiah, member of the Federation National Executive Council.

The strike was held in universities across the country.

Bangalore University fee hike to pinch affiliated college students harder

BANGALORE: While Bangalore University has hiked fees for its postgraduate courses from this academic year, those studying at the university's affiliated colleges will have to cough up much more for the same courses.

Course fees at the affiliated colleges have always been higher than that offered by the university. But now, after the revision, the difference has multiplied. For instance, fee for general merit students for MA (Kannada) was Rs 2,150 at Jnanabharathi whereas it was Rs 2,300 in an affiliated college. Now the revised fee at the university is Rs 6,650 whereas it has shot up to Rs 7,400 at the affiliated colleges.

The ripple effect can be felt even in a conventional science subject like MSc Chemistry. Before the revision, affiliated colleges charged Rs 13,555 for the course but now fees have gone up to Rs 15,900, whereas at the university it is Rs 7,050. That means students studying in an affiliated college have to shell out more than double the amount than what their counterparts on the campus are paying.

A post-graduate degree in social work was offered at Rs 16,155 in affiliated colleges so far. After the revision in fee structure, it has hit Rs 19,400. Fees for apparel technology have gone up from Rs 23,000 to Rs 28,900 and for biotechnology from Rs 33,880 to Rs 39,900. A PG course in psychological counselling has shot up by around Rs 8,000 to reach Rs 39,900.

Experts defend hike

While students are feeling the heat of the overnight hike in fees, experts feel the upward revision is necessary for the university to cover its rising expenses. G Ramesh, associate professor, Center for Public Policy, Indian Institute of Management-Bangalore, who has done a study of university finances for the Karnataka Knowledge Commission, said: "Tuition fee collected by the university may cover only 20% of its total expenditure. This is ridiculously low and is true especially with older universities in the state."

Jnanabharathi closed today

Offices, university constituent colleges and post-graduate departments on Bangalore Univeristy's Jnanabharathi campus are closed on Wednesday because of the byelection to Bangalore Rural Lok Sabha seat.

University offices, PG departments and UVCE will function normally.

"The prices have to keep up with the cost. The university should increase it incrementally and not drastically. When the hike is drastic people protest. There should be some nominal increase every year. No costs remain the same. People should get used to paying fees. They should understand there is a price attached to it. But the fee should go to work that is directly beneficial to students. Universities can look at pooling of resources between department and institutions. The government can look at funding universities based on the number of students they cater to," he added.

Safety measures not yet implemented on Bangalore University campus

It's over 11 months since the gang rape nightmare unravelled in the Jnanabharathi woods but despite the initial alarm over the lack of security, nothing much seems to have been done to ensure students' safety. Bangalore University campus at night is as scary as ever.

The campus abuts the campuses of the NLSIU, ISEC and Sports Authority of India and they're spread over 1,000 acres.

Around 10.30pm Thursday, a TOI team visited the Jnanabharathi campus for a reality check on the security.

Three policemen stopped us at the campus entry point from the Ullala side. "No outsiders are permitted to enter the campus after 9pm. Only students, faculty and university personnel are allowed," said a head constable. The barricades were removed and the team allowed in after they stated the purpose of the visit.

The policemen said the CCTV cameras, which were planned, had not yet been installed.

The roads are well asphalted and streetlights shone bright. But that's not enough to make the campus a safe zone, a security officer said. "We still see students roaming around at night. When we warn them about the dangers, they say 'Who are you to tell us what to do?'" the officer added.

"Students keep visiting friends and classmates say they're studying together. Top officials from the two universities here should take a call and strictly ban students from walking around at night," a security officer said.

We came across four boys who claimed to be returning from an education seminar. One of them had no idea that the next day the six men who gang-raped a girl on the campus would be sentenced in court. The other three said that talking about the issue is taboo. "But we discuss it among ourselves. Some of us know the sentencing is on Friday. We haven't yet decided whether to go to court or not," one of them said.

The crime scene hadn't changed much. The half-constructed building near which the victim was sitting with her friend in his car when they were attacked by the rapists, is eerily quiet. A 90-watt electric bulb is the only light source in the dark area.

The entrance and exit points of the campus were guarded by police, but it's clear that entering the premises is still easy by scaling the compound walls. Policemen admit that woodcutters and other miscreants still frequent the campus.

Bangalore University's casual round counselling on Sept 7

BANGALORE: The casual round of counselling for an estimated 10% of leftover/ unfilled seats in post-graduate courses in Bangalore University and its affiliated colleges will be held on September 7. Candidates must submit their applications on or before September 5 in the respective departments.

Varsity vice-chancellor B Thimme Gowda said so far in the four days of counselling, about 90% seats have been filled up and classes will start from September 2. "We'll complete the admission process by next week with this casual round," he said, adding, "Most vacant seats are in affiliated colleges. As regards MCom courses, all 922 seats have been filled."

Counselling for Physics, Mathematics, Chemistry and Bio-Chemistry will be held at Prof KVG Auditorium and for History, Economics, Political Science ,Sociology and Social Work will held at H N Auditorium (both in Jnanabharati campus) and for other subjects in their respective departments.

On allegations that Rs 40-50 lakh had been spent on the new format of counselling, the VC said it has saved time and money and he'd like to continue the same system as long as he is in-charge.

The committee appointed by the government to look into BEd colleges has visited all 47 colleges and a report is likely to be given by Sunday and it'll be placed before the academic council. A decision will be taken at the syndicate meeting on September 11, he said.

Bangalore University fails to pass muster in academics

BANGALORE: Bangalore University never loses a chance to tom-tom that it is one of the largest varsities in the country. But the 50-year-old institution has very little to boast of in terms of academic excellence. The poor pass percentages in various undergraduate courses only underscore this.

Take the BA course. For the first time in a decade, more than half the students cleared the exam this year. Last year, pass percentage was as bad as 39% in 2012 and 42.34% in 2011. The varsity clocked 68% in 2013, against a 10-year average of 42.6%.

In Science, it is a diametrically opposite scenario. Ten years ago, the pass percentage in BSc was a high 80.77%. The figure now stands at 57.61%, 7% up from 2012.

The worst performer has been the three-year Bachelor of Law programme: the average pass percentage is 34%, with the lowest (18%) in 2010 and 2004. In 2012, it was 39.92%.

Though one of the most sought after courses, Commerce too holds no relief. The pass percentage was 55.59% this year with the lowest (45%) recorded two years ago.

"We are aware of the problem. Many UG and PG colleges are holding extra classes for slow learners," said B Thimme Gowda, vice-chancellor, BU.

SILVER LINING

The only upward curve in BU's academic graph is the consistent performance of girls. They have outscored boys in virtually every discipline. Business management, physical education, hotel management and library science courses too have posted good scores. Bachelor of Education students have performed well clocking a pass percentage of around 60% in 2012. But with many BEd colleges under scrutiny the feat may be questionable.

Delays hit day 2 of Bangalore University counselling

Bangalore: After the commotion on day one,counselling for the postgraduate (PG) courses inBangalore University (BU) was relatively smooth on Tuesday but for procedural delay. While the seat allotment process for MCom and MFA courses took place on Tuesday, students only complained about the delay.

Many who came from far-off places expressed their concern over the delay. "I have come here from Mulbagal, which is around 100 km from Bangalore. My rank is 658 and the counselling for this rank was expected to get started by 2.30pm. But the batch was called only by 4.30pm," said Mohammad Taufiq, a student who came for MCom counseling.

While the delay left many agitated, there were some who were unhappy with the change in ranking. "My wife secured rank 482 in MFA when the result was declared. When we came here and the counselling process began, the screen flashed rank 485. This has left us confused. We have lost three seats. But going to the officials and cross checking will be a herculean task," said M Ravi (name changed).

Counselling for the PG courses began on Monday and will go on till Thursday.

BA, BSC, BBM Revaluation Result 2012... Bangalore University

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