The Karnataka state’s department of higher education, will undergo an overhaul to encompass a system of working that is transparent, the department officials said.

On Wednesday, minister for higher education of the state, Dr CN Ashwath Narayan and principal secretary Rashmi Mahesh, besides other officials of the department addressed the press about a revamp that was proposed to better the department.

Mahesh said that the revamp would include a four-tiered grievance redressal system that allows for tracking besides serving as an ‘adalat’ for pension-related cases of retiring staff and faculty.

“There should be one point of entry for stakeholders to enter information. This will avoid duplication. The data will be made to the department, officials, university, and college. Digital learning and unified data are the two best practices being advocated across the world. We must incorporate these in our institutions as well,” said Higher Education Minister CN Ashwath Narayan.

The Department of Collegiate and Technical Education (DCTE) Commissioner Pradeep P said that students would be allowed to communicate in both English and Kannada at colleges. “We have also made the decision to allow students to write their examinations in English or Kannada,” he said.

Meanwhile, the department also proposes to introduce a Board of Governors to which over 10 subject matter experts would be nominated in all engineering colleges in the state. The board will also see industry experts, corporate sector representatives, alumni, and academicians.

The government has also proposed to place in the upcoming legislative session the ‘Karnataka State Public Higher Education Institutions Bill – 2022 that is envisioned to replace the Karnataka State Universities Act.

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