WB to aid Rs 228 cr for 14 Karnataka engineering colleges

Bangalore, Jun 24: A World Bank-assisted project to improve quality of technical education, under which 14 engineering colleges in Karnataka would get an assistance of Rs 228 crore to promote research and innovation, was formally launched here today (Jun 24).

Under the second phase of Central government's Technical Education Quality Improvement Programme (TEQUIP), assisted by the World Bank, the 14 engineering colleges would receive Rs 12.5 crore each.

Ten of them would also be given approval, on a competitive, first-come-first-served basis, for setting up centres of excellence for multi-disciplinary research in specific thematic areas, and would receive an additional Rs five crore each.

The central government would route 75 per cent of funds for the Rs 228 crore project secured from the World Bank, while the State government would contribute the rest.

The State government today signed an MoU with these 14 colleges with regard to the TEQIP Phase-2.

Higher Education Minister V S Acharya said the programme's objective is to significantly increase enrolment in post- graduate education and enhance engineering research and development and innovation, and to improve competence of faculty from project and non-project institutions through pedagogical training.

It would also support innovations for improving state and institutional level management and education practices and mentor the project institutions towards quality improvement and to audit the institutional performance in achieving their respective targets, Acharya said.

The Phase-II is for a period of four years from 2010-2014, officials said.

PTI