Institutions should fight fundamentalist forces, says Ruth Manorama

[email protected] (The Hindu, Photos by Ahmed Anwar )

August 25, 2012

Mangalore, August 25: Educational institutions should form a committee of students, faculty members, and other Mangalore residents to respond to events such as the home-stay attack, said Ruth Manorama, winner of the Right Livelihood award in 2006 and General Secretary of Women's Voice, an organisation founded in 1985 to work for the survival rights of women in slums and the urban poor.

She was speaking as chief guest at St. Aloysius College in the city on Friday at a programme to mark 25 years since women joined the college.

Educational institutions should be in the vanguard of the process of retaining the secular fabric of Mangalore, which had numerous cultures, religions and languages. The trend of fundamentalist forces must be condemned. Other than the home-stay attack, the recent exodus of the northeast people from the Southern States was worrisome. Ghettoisation (of communities) was happening not only in other States but in Karnataka and especially in Mangalore, she said.

Referring to the home-stay attack on young people in Padil, Ms. Manorama said the attackers claimed they were saving the youth but the protecting the freedom of women and girls was the obligation of the State.

Eighteen alumni, all women achievers, including those belonging to the first batch of women (that is, of 1986) in the college were felicitated. They included teachers, researchers, doctors, sportswomen, and hospitality sector professionals.

Louella Pinto, who works in Oman in a well-known audit firm, and who was the first woman staff member of the college, recalled her days at the college. She said she participated in a range of activities including debates and sports and was able to build a rapport with her students.

Swebert D. Silva, Principal, St. Aloysius College, said that in the 25 years since women joined the college, which was a strong male bastion, women had been catalysts of change.

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Karnataka to scrap separate entrance exams for private universities from 2025

News Network

September 20,2024

Starting in the 2025-26 academic year, private universities in Karnataka offering professional courses will no longer conduct separate entrance exams. This decision follows a directive from the state’s Higher Education Department, prompting private universities to form an association and agree to this significant change.

In a recent meeting with Higher Education Minister Dr. M. C. Sudhakar, representatives from 17 private universities confirmed their decision to discontinue individual entrance tests. Of the 27 private universities in the state, 17 offer professional courses, and they have collectively agreed to accept scores from existing national or state-level entrance exams.

“Some universities will consider JEE scores, others will rely on KCET, and a few are inclined towards COMEDK,” Dr. Sudhakar stated, leaving the choice of examination to the universities themselves. However, the department has also suggested that the universities consider a unified entrance test for admissions.

Looking ahead, Dr. Sudhakar hinted that the government may introduce a common entrance test for general degree courses at private universities as well. "As government colleges and universities currently don’t require entrance exams for general degree courses, we haven’t made any decisions on this yet," he explained.

The meeting also addressed concerns over the high fees charged by private universities. To regulate this, the universities were instructed to establish fee fixation committees, headed by retired judges, as required by law. These committees will be responsible for determining tuition fees. Additionally, the government will continue to regulate fees for 40% of seats in professional courses that are filled through KCET.

In an effort to bring greater uniformity among private institutions, the government is considering enacting a common law for all private universities, which would replace the individual acts currently governing each university. This would place all private universities under a single regulatory framework.

This move is expected to streamline the admissions process and create a more standardized system for both professional and general degree programs across Karnataka's private universities.

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