Mount Carmel B’lore set to take in male PG students

Mangalore Today News Network

Bengaluru, July 16, 2015: The city’s  historic  Mount Carmel College, a popular women’s college here, will enrol male students in its postgraduate courses from the next academic year. St.Agnes College in Mangaluru is a sister institution but does not as yet take in any male students.

The college had written early in 2015, to the Principal Secretary, Higher Education, expressing its wish to enrol male students to PG courses. The same was sent by the Higher Education secretary to the BU Vice-Chancellor in April. The Bangalore University approved the same in its Academic Council meeting. The women’s college has been functioning in the City since July 1948.

Speaking to media on the sidelines of the meeting, BU Vice-Chancellor Prof B Thimme Gowda said the university had no problem with the college admitting male students. It is approved it by BU.  The the State government will be informed.  He said the BU would not restrict the ratio between male and female students in these courses. In fact, the varsity would also make a suggestion to the college to consider co-education for PhD as well.

According to college Principal Arpana, there was demand from boys for courses in electronics and nanotechnology. The college then decided to keep it open for wider section of students. The college will enrol boys from the next year as it is too late now. The admission of boys would be restricted to a certain percentage and the classes would be conducted on the Vasanthnagar campus for now.  Mount Carmel College, established in 1948, offers 17 PG courses in Commerce&Management, Humanities, Science, Applied Sciences and Design.

Even though the college has been given autonomous status as far as academic matters are concerned, major changes have to be approved by the university. Mount Carmel may have to forego any grants meant exclusively for women’s college, university officials said.

Some academic council members also asked the V-C to direct the college to change its nomenclature and objected to the institution being called a Women’s College.  The university officials did not take any decision in this regard.

NOTE : 

[] Mangaluru’s 135-year-old St Aloysius College, which was an exclusive men’s college, started admitting women since 1987

[] St Aloysius School, Mangaluru, was open for girls in 2008

[] St.Agnes College in Mangaluru is a sister institution of Mount Carmel, but does not as yet take in any male students.