UGC readies regulations for deemed universities

Thorat said the regulation will help in holding these institutes accountable. “We have come up with regulations on fee structure to keep a tab on the uncontrolled fee hike. The admission procedure,availability of proper infrastructure and other such requirements will be under the scanner once the regulations are in place.”

The UGC is awaiting the Human Resource Development Ministry nod for the initiative. “We submitted a proposal three months ago,” he said. The HRD Ministry is likely to review the status of private institutes that got deemed-to-be university status from 2004 to 2009. “The sudden rise in the number of deemed universities in the past few years has put a question mark on the quality of education,” said Arun Nigvekar,former chairman of UGC. “The deemed-to-be status is conferred through executive powers and there is every possibility that the process is carried out using personal influences. As a result,quality has gone down.”

Nigvekar welcomed the initiative but expressed doubts whether it will be implemented this academic year. “If the UGC has come up with regulations on admission and fee process,it is a good move. But had the UGC published the draft on the site and sought a feedback,it would have been more comprehensive.”

The managements of city institutes awaiting the approval of deemed-to-be status also welcomed the move. “There is a need for quality control as it is directly related to students’ future,” said Dr Gajanan Ekbote,executive chairman of Progressive Education Society.

Rahul Karad,executive director,MIT,said,“There are institutes that completed only five to 10 years and managed to get the status. It hampers the quality. There are institutes that have completed more than 25 years,but waiting to get their proposal cleared.”

On the table
Fees: A regulated fee structure to check uncontrolled hikes.
Admission: Rules on procedure,infrastructure and other needs.
Status: Proposal submitted 3 months ago,awaiting govt nod.
The trigger
Deemed universities: A rise in numbers in the past few years and lack of mechanism to check quality of education.
City scene: Pune has 8 deemed universities,including Symbiosis and Bharati Vidyapeeth,11 others have applied for the status.