Nation needs more universities and colleges – Prof. T. C. Shivashankar Murthy

Nation needs more universities and colleges – Prof. T. C. Shivashankar Murthy

Mangalore Today News Network

Mangalore, Dec 29, 2011: Delivering the inaugural address at a 2-day workshop titled “Teacher Competency Development” organized by the Mangala Alumni Association (MAA) for college teachers at University College today, Mangalore University Vice Chancellor Prof. T. C. Shivashankar Murthy said that a nation comprising 1.2 billion people need much more than just 547 universities and 32,000 colleges.

Further, he said that the number of universities should be raised to at least 2000 and the number of new colleges should be raised to 35,000. Stating that the nation has a number of talented people, he said that higher education and research require better infrastructure and funding, which is why 23 percent of the funds allotted under the 12th Five Year Plan will be spent on education.

A recent UGC survey reveals that posts for 53 percent assistant professors, 49 percent associate professors, and 43 percent professors remain vacant all over India, a country that requires a large number of highly qualified teachers. 

The workshop will comprise 7 technical sessions for lecturers, covering topics such as teachers as leaders, using multimedia technology, teachers as counsellors, and so on. 

T. Ananthakrishna, the honorary president of MAA and the executive chairman of Karnataka Bank; Dr. K. Chinnappa Gowda, the registrar of Mangalore University; Dinesh Kumar, the president of MAA; and Dr. Devaraj, the principal of SDM – BBM, were also present.