Reshma Ravishanker

Even as a bill has granted the University Visvesvaraya College of Engineering a university status in 2021, the college continues to have dilapidated buildings and staff shortage. This year’s admission process also remains uncertain.

UVCE’s principal Dr HN Ramesh has written a letter (a copy of which has been accessed by EducationWorld) to the higher education department highlighting the shortcomings that must be addressed before the admissions commence.

Even as the admissions are just weeks away, college authorities are caught unaware about whether admissions would continue to be considered under Bangalore University or newly established varsity.

UVCE, as per the guidelines for the formation of a university, has made no appointments for key posts. A director has not been appointed by the department. Board of governors and members who in-turn form a senate and appoint key officers to the newly established university has not been formed by the state yet, the principal has highlighted in his letter.

Shortage of staff is another issue the letter notes. Out of the 139 sanctioned posts of teaching staff, 59 are vacant while in the non-teaching staff, of the 203, as many as 168 posts have not been filled.

“University Visvesvaraya College of Engineering is running short of Permanent faculty and Non-Teaching staff. The recruitment of permanent Teaching staff has not been recruited since 2007, non-teaching staff recruitment has to be initiated and the last recruitment of teaching staff was during 1995-96. In University Visvesvaraya College of Engineering most of the Non-Teaching staff are those who are appointed through compassionate ground and Majority appointed through out source. There are no qualified non-teaching staff for all the laboratories,” the letter reads.

The college also has a dilapidated mechanical lab, which successive principals are asking to be repaired. Even as the upgrade to an IIT level institute comes at a promised Rs 85 crore, the previously sanctioned amount to Bangalore University towards repair has not been released to UVCE yet.

“Principal had a meeting with the higher education department officials. We do not know whether UVCE will be considered a varsity by the KEA at the time of seat allocations this time. It has been four years now that we are requesting neighboring colleges to accommodate our mechanical engineering students for labs. With no top officials and lack of coordination from the ministry, the university resembles a headless chicken,” said a source.

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