Student interest in Gandhian studies falls at several Karnataka universities
Several state universities in Karnataka are reporting reduced enrolment and curtailed activity in Gandhian studies, with officials citing weak student demand, funding shortages, higher fees and competition from other courses. The University of Mysore is an exception, with its diploma course filled and a postgraduate programme continuing to attract students.
Academic activity at the Centre for Gandhian Studies at Bangalore University has halted, reflecting a broader decline in interest in Gandhian studies at several state universities in Karnataka. The centre discontinued its diploma and certificate courses about five years ago after enrolment fell. B.N.
Shreekeerthi, its director, said classes had become difficult to conduct. He also cited a lack of funding and said Gandhian principles were often presented as history rather than applied to present-day issues. The centre was established after its foundation stone was laid by former President Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan in 1965.
It previously offered a one-year diploma and a six-month certificate course in Gandhian Thought. Karnatak University has also seen enrolment decline. Its Department of Gandhian Studies, founded in 1976, has no permanent faculty member leading it.
The university offers a postgraduate diploma and an open elective course, with teaching handled by adjunct and guest faculty. The department’s intake has fallen from 60 students to 20, while admissions dropped from 10 last year to five this year. A guest faculty member, Siddu Bashetti, attributed the decline partly to higher fees, the spread of postgraduate centres in colleges and students’ focus on competitive examinations.
The report said students previously paid ₹570 after concessions, while current fees exceed ₹10,000 for university students and ₹15,000 for students from outside the university. It did not establish that fees were the sole cause of the decline. The University of Mysore presents a more positive picture.
Its Gandhi Bhavan offers an MA in Peace and Conflict Resolution, a diploma in Gandhian Studies and doctoral research. The MA has 17 of 25 places filled, while all 19 diploma seats are occupied. Director Narendra Kumar said many students came from rural backgrounds and were interested in rural development and non-governmental organisation work.
The centre also has nine fellows and three unfunded research scholars.
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