Bengaluru will soon have an education district with an agglomeration of several government and autonomous universities in the vicinity of Bengaluru City University.

Karnataka Chief minister Basavaraj Bommai who inaugurated the upgraded university campus on Thursday said that this is the first of its kind that has been planned and a separate allocation would be made for it.

Amid an applause by students, Bommai said that though he was not scheduled to attend the event, an invitation from higher education minister Dr C N Ashwath Narayan to be part of a “historic moment” drew him to attend.

“Bengaluru is an international city. At the heart of it is the BCU. That itself ascertains a lot of importance to the campus. In its vicinity are at least 6 institutions of great importance. Some are also deemed institutions. This is making way for us to identify the area as an education district. We will contribute funds and so will these institutes,” he said.

With the NEP 2020 envisioning a multi-disciplinary approach to education, easy accessibility to faculty, support system and facilities would be enabled here according to Bommai.

“I envision a knowledge City in a 2,000-acre space in Bengaluru if this one on a pilot basis is successful,” Bommai added.

Meanwhile, Narayan said that the NEP 2020 recommends that higher education be devoid of the concept of affiliation and that work was on in that direction.

“This varsity (formerly central college) is the alma mater of so many legends. It has a rich history. BCU was where our country’s first Nobel prize awardee Sir C V Raman worked and discovered the Raman effect. First Bharata Ratna awardee, C Rajagolapachari was associated with the college,” he recollected.  

Regarding the education district, he said that an infrastructure upgrade was planned to suit the needs of students. “All roads lead to BCU. It has a great potential and is well connected via public transport. This area will be declared as an education district. This will mean pavements are walkable, surroundings are safe and secure, student friendly and the overall experience is enhanced. This area is naturally an educational hub, surrounded by Maharani Cluster University, Nrupathunga University and UVCE among others,” he said.