The State’s Higher Education Council has given in-principle approval to the Karnataka State Education Policy. Some of the recommendations in the policy, which were prepared by the Karnataka Knowledge Commission, include monitoring the fixation of fees, encouraging technology-enabled learning, and giving an impetus to research activities. “The important recommendations in the policy need to be implemented. We have decided to constitute subcommittees of experts who will look at the implementation of these recommendations,” said Higher Education Minister G.T. Deve Gowda, adding that the agenda regarding the policy was tabled in the Council.
An important recommendation that was approved will see institutes have an academic performance index of teachers.
The index will not only assess their performance but also look into the professional development of teachers.
The policy also states that the process of fixing fees in public and private colleges should be monitored in real-time. “While the quantum of fees should be left to the institutions, the government should have the right to monitor and intervene in extreme situations,” one of the recommendations reads.
Sources in the department also said that another recommendation that will have an impact on higher education is the creation of a cloud-based e-content repository where educational material is made available to all students and faculty members.
The policy calls for the government to increase funding in higher education and recommends that it work with international organisations such as the World Bank and tap into alumni resources to do so.