Over 10,600 candidates to receive degrees at KSOU convocation on January 31

As many as 10,691 candidates will receive various degrees at the 21st annual convocation of the Karnataka State Open University (KSOU) in Mysuru on January 31.

Continuing the trend of previous years, women have outnumbered men, with 6,704 women and 3,987 men set to receive degrees.

The convocation will witness the conferment of 68 PhD degrees, besides 65 gold medals and 62 cash prizes. Degrees will be awarded to students from the 2021–22 January cycle to the 2023–24 January cycle, as well as to eligible candidates from the 2013–14 and 2014–15 academic years, following approval from the State government and Raj Bhavan.

Addressing a press conference here on January 30, Vice-Chancellor Sharanappa V. Halse said 10,691 candidates out of 14,069 had passed the undergraduate and postgraduate examinations conducted during the 2021–22 to 2023–24 cycles, recording an overall pass percentage of 75.50.

He said the highest number of PhDs this year were awarded in the subject of Kannada, while History recorded the least, with just one doctoral degree.

Regarding the long-pending batches of 2013–14 and 2014–15, Prof. Halse said the issue had been resolved after the University Grants Commission (UGC), the State government, and the Governor’s office permitted KSOU to award degrees to candidates who had completed conventional (non-technical) courses. Accordingly, 30,515 candidates out of 64,102 who appeared for the examinations from these batches are now eligible to receive degrees, with a 47.60% pass rate.

These students had to wait for over a decade to get the degrees owing to issues related to their admissions. A few students had moved the court, and KSOU had meetings with the UGC and the government on the students’ fate.

Governor to attend

The convocation will be presided over by Governor Thaawarchand Gehlot at the KSOU convocation hall at 11.30 a.m. Higher Education Minister M.C. Sudhakar will be present, while Union Minister of State for Education and Development of the North Eastern Region Sukanta Majumdar will deliver the convocation address.

Honorary doctorates

KSOU will confer honorary doctorates on eight personalities, including S. Shivakumar of Harsha Institutions, Bengaluru; Satish Kumar D. Kaggere, founder and secretary of Kids International School, Tumakuru; Brahmakumari Lakshmi of Prajapita Brahma Kumaris Ishwariya Vishwa Vidyalaya, Mysuru; K.B. Lingaraju of the Mysore Chamber of Commerce and Industry; Sanskrit scholar Bhashyam Swamy, founder of Sri Yoga Narasimhaswamy Temple; educationist Shivashankar Tokare; scholar B.S. Nagabhushana Atri; and retired bureaucrat C. Somashekar.

Prof. Halse said the honorary doctorates pertain to the academic years for which the convocation is being conducted. Responding to queries on the selection process, he said the Governor’s office had cleared eight names from a panel of 20, adding that the awardees were chosen for their notable contributions, particularly in the field of education.

Senior university officials, including the registrar and registrar (evaluation) were present at the press conference.