The State Cabinet has decided to implement a Rs. 221-crore World Bank-aided project in 15 engineering institutes to enhance the quality of technical education and research.
Addressing media persons on the decisions taken at a Cabinet meeting here on Friday, Minister for Primary and Secondary Education Vishweshwara Hegde Kageri said the 2nd phase of the Technical Education Quality Improvement Programme (TEQUIP) would be implemented in 15 private and government engineering institutes to promote research and innovation.
Under the TEQUIP-II, 15 engineering institutes would receive Rs. 12 crore each. The Union Government would route 75 % of funds for the Rs. 221-crore project while the State government would contribute the rest.
Mr. Kageri said institutes such as Malnad Engineering College, Hassan; M S Ramaiah Institute of Technology, R V Engineering College, BMC engineering college, Dr Ambedkar Engineering College, all located in Bangalore; NMAM Institute of Technology, Nitte; and Siddaganga Engineering College, Tumkur, have been shortlisted for this project, he said.
The State Government had signed a Memorandum of Understanding with these 15 institutes with regard to the TEQIP Phase-2 when the late V.S. Acharya was Higher Education Minister.
Faculty recruitment and skill enhancements have not kept pace with the expansion of engineering institutions.
The shortage among Ph.D.- level faculty was around 30,000 and Masters-level faculty around 24,000 in 2008. Karnataka has 187 engineering institutes of which 14 are government, 12 aided and 161 unaided. On average, 63,104 students are admitted to engineering institutes.
TEQIP Phase-I (2004-09) also covered 14 engineering institutes in Karnataka, at an outlay of Rs. 162 crore. Karnataka was among 13 States covered in TEQIP Phase-I.
The main objectives of TEQIP Phase-II are to increase enrolment in post-graduate studies (primarily Ph.Ds. and M.Techs), to augment the number of research papers published and to upgrade the competence of faculty, according to Minister for Higher Education V.S. Acharya.
Dr. Acharya said that with 14 institutes given TEQIP, Karnataka has the highest number of colleges to have been deemed fit for the grant. “Some of our institutes are better than the National Institutes of Technology,” according to Dr. Acharya.




















