Central University of Karnataka: A failed experiment

KALABURAGI: What ails the Central University of Karnataka situated at Kadaganchi village near Kalaburagi? This question is haunting not only academicians but political leaders from the region as well.

Expectations were very high when the CUK was established in this backward area in 2009 through an amendment by Parliament. It is one of the 16 new Central Universities established by the Government of India during the UGC XI Plan Period to address the concerns of  equity and to increase access to quality higher education by people in less educationally developed districts which have a Graduate Enrolment Ratio less than the national average of 11 per cent.

But a dispassionate evaluation of the performance of CUK in the last six years shows a gloomy picture. In academics as well as infrastructure growth, CUK has failed to make desired progress. While the Central University of Lucknow which was also established in 2009 along with CUK, boasts of 40 departments with a combined student strength of 9,000, CUK is way behind with only six schools and 16 departments with a total student strength of 349 of whom 258 are under-graduate students and 48 are graduate students.

The CUK which initially operated from buildings given by Gulbarga University, shifted to its new campus at Kadaganchi in the hope that construction of buildings including academic blocks and hostels would take place within the specified time. But poor progress of infrastructure projects has severely affected academic activities.

RITES failed to complete the first and second phase by 2012, prompting authorities to levy a penalty of Rs 7 crore. Of the 23 blocks in the first and second phases at a total cost of '250 crore, work on only six buildings has been completed.

In view of the shortage of accommodation, students were made to stay in private buildings. The drinking water problem remains unresolved, seriously affecting academic activity.