‘Super 30’: Karnataka to build model engineering colleges in every district

In an ambitious plan for providing quality engineering education in the state, the Karnataka govt. plans to launch the ‘Super 30’ programme with a focus on building one model engineering college in each district and 30 such colleges in the state.

As per sources, the programme would primarily concentrate on faculty training, industry collaborations, setting up of laboratories, foreign collaborations, and such aspects rather than physical infrastructure in the state. Although the prime focus is on govt. run colleges, the committee would be taking private engineering colleges on board depending on their potential for development, in districts without a government college.

One department in each selected college will be taken up for up-gradation and will expand to the whole college subsequently. But those institutes already known for quality and high standards of teaching and learning will not be considered for this initiative, thus keeping Bengaluru urban out of this plan. 

An official reported having said, the plan is introduced after realising the struggle faced by rural students who were forced to travel to urban for quality education. “The move is meant to stop this migration at the taluk level itself. When a private college is selected, it will not be the top autonomous one, but one from the lower tier with the potential for development” he added.

A committee headed by Visvesvaraya Technological University (VTU) has been formed, which also comprises academicians, industry leaders and other officials, to look into the plan to develop colleges to excel in the areas of research, industry and teaching. The funds needed for this effort would come from CSR funding of companies (1/3rd ), VTU (1/3rd), and the institution itself (1/3rd).

“We are not establishing new colleges, but upgrading existing ones into institutes of excellence. We will give the selected colleges support in terms of academic work, research, teaching, industry engagement and infrastructure,” said Pradeep P, Commissioner, Department of Collegiate and Technical Education to a news website.

A centralised facilitation centre is also under discussion, which will create a platform to bring industries together for providing internships, placements, training for faculty and curriculum development in sync with industry demands.