Karnataka Govt invites Pennsylvania's higher education institutes in US for collaboration

BENGALURU: Inviting Pennsylvania's higher education institutes in the United States to collaborate with the Karnataka government, state Minister CN Ashwath Narayan on Monday said the administration would take forward decentralisation in the higher education sector.

He was speaking at the preliminary meeting regarding a global partnership between higher education institutes in Karnataka and Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education (PASSHE).

Decentralisation would be given further thrust in all the stages of higher education and as per the aspirations of the National Education Policy, the Minister for Higher Education said: "To provide access to quality education, collaboration would be established with the well-known universities of foreign countries."

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Digitalisation of higher education has been given priority, Narayan said, as a result of introducing training courses and other such initiatives. Enrolment ratio in the state's polytechnic institutes has touched 100 per cent from the earlier 50 per cent and 80,000 students are getting admitted annually, the minister said.

Initiatives such as twinning courses, dual degrees, skill training and internship would be further expanded, he added. A delegation from University of Pennsylvania, led by Vice- Chancellor Dr Peter Garland and Dr Anita Meehan is on a week-long visit to the state. During the visit, discussions and consultations would be held pertaining to collaboration in higher education, the minister's office said.