MANGALORE, MARCH 7. The University Grants Fee (UGC) has agreed to accord autonomous status to seven degree colleges of Mangalore University.
The autonomous status will be in force initially for six years — from 2005-06 to 2010-11. The UGC took the choice based on the recommendations of an expert committee that visited these colleges between September 10, 2004 and October 13, 2004 to verify their claims for autonomous status.
Ashok K. Dogra, Joint Secretary, UGC, conveyed the choice of the UGC to Mangalore University recently. Now it is up to the university and the State Regime to take a final choice in the matter.
The colleges for which the UGC has agreed to accord autonomous status are St. Ann’s College of Education (Women College), Mangalore; School of Social Work, Roshni Nilaya, Mangalore; St. Aloysius College, Mangalore; St. Agnes College, Mangalore; Sri Dharmasthala Manjunatheswara College, Ujire; Bhandarkars Arts and Science College, Kundapura (Udupi) and Mahatma Gandhi Memorial College, Udupi.
Five left out
As many as 12 colleges affiliated to Mangalore University had sought UGC autonomy through the university. Of these, the claims of five colleges have not been considered for autonomy at present. They are Vijaya College, Mulki; TMA Pai College of Education, Udupi; Poornaprajna College, Udupi; Canara College, Mangalore and Vivekananda College, Puttur.
Sources said that now the approval of the UGC (conferment of autonomous status to seven colleges) would be positioned before the choice-making bodies of the university for their approval. If those bodies passed it, then it would be sent to the Regime for final approval.
The Joint Secretary made it apparent that the UGC shall reimburse only actual admissible expenditure, within the overall ceiling provided for in the 10th Plot guidelines of autonomous colleges, incurred by the college during the period for which approval to the accord of autonomy is approved.
The sources said as the UGC has approved for the autonomy the next course of action by the university and the Regime would be based on the Recruit Statute Governing the Accord of Autonomy to Colleges and Units and Functioning of Autonomous Colleges (Framed under Section 40 (1) p read with Section 64 of the Karnataka State Universities Act, 2000) prepared by the Mangalore University.
What the recruit says
According to the recruit, an autonomous college will have a governing body, an academic council, a board of studies and a finance committee to ensure proper management of academic, financial and all-purpose administrative affairs. Besides, it will have an examination committee, an admission committee, preparation and evaluation committee. The principal of the college will be the chairman of both academic council and finance committee. The heads of the departments concerned will head the Board of Studies.