Bengaluru : Charing a review meeting of the state Higher Education Department on Saturday, Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Saturday directed officials to fill Kalyana Karnataka and other backlog posts on priority.

Speaking to reporters after the meeting, CM Siddaramaiah said, "The recruitment of teachers is very important to ensuring the desired standards and quality of learning at educational institutions. Hence, I have directed the officers concerned to fill all Kalyana Karnataka and other backlog (teaching) posts on priority."

The CM also sought a uniform calendar of events so that the activities of different universities are not held at different periods, causing inconvenience to candidates seeking admission.

The officials informed the CM that the Higher Education Council was already undertaking efforts in this direction.

The chief minister also reviewed the activities of the Kannada Study Chair at the Jawahar Nehru University (JNU), which was founded during his previous tenure, and passed on further instructions for taking its activities forward.

The discussions also focused on distributing laptops and tablets to varsity students and a stipend to the Ph.D students.

He also directed officials concerned to expedite the construction of a hostel to accommodate one thousand female students each of Arts and Science at the Mysore Maharani Arts College hostel premises. The hostel, according to officials, is estimated to come up at a cost of Rs 99 crore.

Informing that Rs 47 crore was available for use by the department, the CM said he directed officials of the Finance department to set aside funds for additional grants to be provided in next year's budget.

He also sought a proposal with regard to the renovation and construction of Maharani Science College, Mysuru, at the earliest. The institution is currently in a dilapidated state, crying out for repairs.

He said he would visit the institution on the occasion of Dussehra and inspect the progress of work in this direction.

"Most of the children (Maharani Science College, Mysuru) belong to poor and lower-middle-class families. A well-equipped hostel needs to be constructed for their convenience," he said.

He said he had announced a grant in the budget presented in his previous term for the construction of this hostel.

The CM also gave instructions to prioritise the improvement of 16 government engineering colleges in the state.

He also directed officials to take steps to improve financial discipline, transparency in recruitment, and other issues in the higher education sector.

The CM was briefed that the Backward Classes Welfare Department was ready to take control of 224 hostels with a combined capacity of 13,169 students that were constructed by the Higher Education Department.

He directed officials to bring this matter before the cabinet.

He suggested that officers of the Finance Department should hold regular meetings with Higher Education and School Education departments to identify steps that could be taken to improve the educational infrastructure and the quality of learning, adding that proposals in this regard should be submitted in advance.