The Department of Science and Technology, Government of Karnataka, has been working on bringing out a policy on research, development and innovation, according to A.B Basavaraju, Director (Technical), Department of Electronics, Information Technology, Biotechnology and Science and Technology.
One of the major objectives of the policy is to improve the research culture in schools and colleges as well as to create a robust research ecosystem for all the sectors, including food and agriculture.
In his address at the 17 th annual convocation of Karnataka State Open University (KSOU) here, he said the State Government has been giving a big thrust to S and T through various policy initiatives.
Karnataka has emerged as knowledge and technology capital of the country by making rapid strides in sectors such as information technology, IT-enabled services and biotechnology and carved a niche for itself in the global market.
“We are a leader in India’s technology sector – both in terms of investments and exports. The State is also a popular investment destination for automobile, electronics, food processing, heavy machinery and textile industries.”
Arguing that research is the key driver for innovation and discoveries that lead to development of technologies, Mr. Basavaraju, who is the MD of KSTePS, said Karnataka has the largest number of colleges in the country after Uttar Pradesh and Maharashtra and the number stands at 4,000.
The gross enrollment ratio (GER) in higher education in Karnataka was 32 per cent in 2019-2020, which was higher than the national average of 27.1 per cent as per the all India survey of higher education. The National Education Policy 2020 has fixed a target of 50 per cent GER by 2035. This provides an excellent opportunity for universities like KSOU for enhancing the State’s GER, he opined.
Also, there is a need to further expand and strengthen the KSOU for meeting the learning needs of young people who are not allowed to attend a physical school, Mr. Basavaraju suggested.
Observing that there was tremendous scope to improve the quality of higher education which in turn improves ranking of our universities at the global level, he said the first step to be taken in this regard was making the academic curriculum more dynamic, industry focused and on par with the best institutions in the world. A strong interlinkage between academia, industry and research is essential for making higher education more competitive, he felt.
The NEP-2020 policy will definitely take the education sector to greater heights in the country as it is broad-based, multidisciplinary, holistic with flexible curricula, creative combinations of subjects, integration of vocation education, and multiple entry and exit points with appropriate certification.
Mr. Basavaraju said the KSOU is reaching out to all aspirants for fulfilling the national objectives of higher education and it is invaluable in providing open and distance education opportunities to such aspirants.
On the occasion, Governor and Chancellor Thaawarchand Gehlot, who declared the convocation open, conferred honorary doctorate on A.V.S Murthy, Honorary Secretary, Rashtriya Shikshana Samithi Trust, R.V. Group of Educational Institutions, Bengaluru; E.S. Chakravarthy, Vice-President and Global Head, Resource Management Group, Tata Consultancy Services, Bengaluru; and Anand Sankeshwar, Managing Director, VRL Group.
A total of 8,338 candidates, including 3,272 men and 5,066 women, were conferred with degrees in various subjects. Also, 31 candidates received PhD degrees while 48 candidates secured gold medals and 38 have bagged cash prizes.
The seniormost candidate who got the degree was 84-year-old N.C. Srinivasa Murthy, who passed in first class in MA Kannada. He received a round of applause from the gathering when he received the degree from the Governor.
Vice-Chancellor S. Vidyashankar welcomed the gathering and introduced the guests. Registrar R. Rajanna, Registrar (Evaluation) K.B. Praveena and others were present.
