Bengaluru: Breaking the mould of traditional outreach, Dr Manmohan Singh Bengaluru City University (BCU) has, for the first time, connected directly with pre-university colleges to reach out to prospective students.In a unique initiative, the state-run university brought together principals of over 800 PU colleges and 200 affiliated colleges in two educational districts — Bengaluru North and Bengaluru South — under one roof to bridge the gap between pre-university and higher education.The university created a space for both parties to interact and understand what was on offer for students.“Our purpose was to bridge the gap between PU colleges and affiliated undergraduate colleges. Most students are not aware of the courses available in affiliated colleges, their infrastructure and faculty strength, etc. Recently, we introduced more than 80 innovative job-oriented courses. We want to reach out to parents and students through college principals. The principals assured us that this information will be passed on to parents,” said Ramesh B, vice-chancellor, BCU.State public universities are facing stiff competition from private ones in the city for enrolment. BCU currently has around 1.3 lakh students. “Instead of taking admissions in private universities, paying higher fees and ending up with bank loans, our colleges provide students quality education with innovative core courses,” he claimed.PU principals, meanwhile, pointed to a lag in admissions at state universities, with many of them starting the process only months after announcement of PU results. University officials, in turn, assured them that this year, admissions will begin in the same week as the results. A skill-oriented course will be offered to students who enrol before normal classes begin.“This was a one-of-a-kind programme. Usually, students after PU have no idea what course to take. There are so many programmes beyond medicine and engineering. The event aimed to orient principals, who in turn can advise parents and students,” said Prasanna Kumar, president, Bengaluru South district PU principals’ association
