KTU to set up permanent campus

The varsity’s budget earmarks ₹176.3 crore for acquiring land in Vilappil in the capital

APJ Abdul Kalam Technological University (KTU) has provided thrust on acquiring land and setting up a permanent university campus in its budget announced for the 2021-22 fiscal on Tuesday.

The Board of Governors of the KTU approved the annual budget, presented by Syndicate member and finance committee chairman P.K. Biju, which anticipates a revenue of ₹377.3 crore and expenditure of ₹457.6 crore.

An outlay of ₹176.3 crore has been earmarked for acquiring the land that has been identified in Vilappil village. An amount of ₹105 crore has been allocated to establish a permanent campus. The budget observes that the establishment of schools is essential for the university to obtain 2(f) and 12(B) recognition by the University Grants Commission (UGC) to receive grants. Besides, multi-disciplinary schools were necessary to pursue excellence in innovation and emerging technologies.

The KTU has also decided to initiate a scheme to address the digital divide among students of the university. An amount of ₹10 crore has been earmarked to ensure equitable access to digital gadgets.

A digital platform has been mooted for providing alternative learning systems for students using transformative technologies predominantly in the online mode. The proposed platform for content delivery for which ₹1.9 crore has been allocated is targeted to facilitate digital classes for core subjects in MOOC form, skill improvement-related digital programmes and design of courses to address skill gap.

A remote proctored online examination platform will also be established at an expense of ₹10 crore. The university has decided to procure infrastructure facilities and licensed software to conduct online examinations. CCTVs will also be installed in affiliated colleges.

The budget also earmarks ₹2.5 crore to establish an Internal Quality Assurance Cell to assist affiliated institutions to obtain accreditation from the National Board of Accreditation (NBA).

The university has also set its sights on establishing a Department of Student Affairs, innovation and industry council, women start-ups, skill park, technology business incubator and a digital library, among other initiatives that have found mention in the budget, the first to be presented after the university statutes had been introduced last year.

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