<p>Bengaluru: Former minister Dr C N Ashwath Narayan on Tuesday said that the decision of the government to close down nine universities in the state is not so easy. </p>.<p>In an interaction with reporters, Narayan, who served as the higher education minister in the previous Basavaraj Bommai government, said, “The closure of private affiliated colleges itself is a big process and it is not so easy to close down the established universities as the government thinks.” </p>.<p class="bodytext">Narayan said the BJP would establish universities in each district if it is voted back to power. </p>.A lesson in apathy: 6 Karnataka varsities have no full-time Vice Chancellors.<p class="bodytext">“Higher education should be liberalised and every eligible district should get a university,” he said.</p>.<p class="bodytext">The Bommai government had established 7 new universities. He said three varsities - Mandya Unitary University, Maharani Cluster University and Nrupatunga University - were established following the recognition they got as colleges in the national level.</p>.<p class="bodytext">“All 3 universities were established under the Rashtriya Uchchatar Shiksha Abhiyan (RUSA, now PMUSA). In the first phase, eight colleges were identified at the national level to establish cluster universities. Maharani college for women was one among four unitary universities as also the Mandya government college. It was a pride for the state,” he said. </p>.<p class="bodytext">The government science college was identified in RUSA’s second phase as a unitary university, he added.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Narayan challenged the government to make the expert committee report on the universities’ closure public.</p>.<p class="bodytext">“Who gave them a report saying Rs 342 crore is needed for functioning of universities? I would like to ask the higher education minister whether he has visited these universities and verified the way they are functioning,” he said. "As per my knowledge, the new universities are doing much better than the old ones,” he said.</p>.<p class="bodytext">He said he is ready for an open debate with Higher Education Minister Dr M C Sudhakar on the issue. </p>
<p>Bengaluru: Former minister Dr C N Ashwath Narayan on Tuesday said that the decision of the government to close down nine universities in the state is not so easy. </p>.<p>In an interaction with reporters, Narayan, who served as the higher education minister in the previous Basavaraj Bommai government, said, “The closure of private affiliated colleges itself is a big process and it is not so easy to close down the established universities as the government thinks.” </p>.<p class="bodytext">Narayan said the BJP would establish universities in each district if it is voted back to power. </p>.A lesson in apathy: 6 Karnataka varsities have no full-time Vice Chancellors.<p class="bodytext">“Higher education should be liberalised and every eligible district should get a university,” he said.</p>.<p class="bodytext">The Bommai government had established 7 new universities. He said three varsities - Mandya Unitary University, Maharani Cluster University and Nrupatunga University - were established following the recognition they got as colleges in the national level.</p>.<p class="bodytext">“All 3 universities were established under the Rashtriya Uchchatar Shiksha Abhiyan (RUSA, now PMUSA). In the first phase, eight colleges were identified at the national level to establish cluster universities. Maharani college for women was one among four unitary universities as also the Mandya government college. It was a pride for the state,” he said. </p>.<p class="bodytext">The government science college was identified in RUSA’s second phase as a unitary university, he added.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Narayan challenged the government to make the expert committee report on the universities’ closure public.</p>.<p class="bodytext">“Who gave them a report saying Rs 342 crore is needed for functioning of universities? I would like to ask the higher education minister whether he has visited these universities and verified the way they are functioning,” he said. "As per my knowledge, the new universities are doing much better than the old ones,” he said.</p>.<p class="bodytext">He said he is ready for an open debate with Higher Education Minister Dr M C Sudhakar on the issue. </p>