The Hindu : Private varsities face derecognition threat

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Thursday, Dec 11, 2003

Southern States

Southern States - Andhra Pradesh

Private varsities face derecognition threat

By R. Ravikanth Reddy

HYDERABAD Dec. 10. Private universities recognised by Chhattisgarh and other States and offering courses in the State now face a threat of their courses being derecognised if they do not comply with new guidelines issued by the University Grants Commission (UGC).

The State has seen a spurt in several private universities setting up their offshore campuses here and offering degree and masters programmes in all streams. The ones that have come up recently include ICFAI University, Rai University, Vishwa Bharathi University, Punjabi State University and Bundhelkhand University, among others. Some of them are offering courses in the distance mode while some other have campuses here offering full-fledged courses. Interestingly, most of these are recognised by the Chhattisgarh State.

"But the University Grants Commission Regulations 2003 issued recently have several norms that might hit these universities if they do not comply with the changes sought within three months," says an official. The recent regulations apply to every private university established by or incorporated under a state act. The regulations will have a retrospective application— it will apply to all universities established till date under State acts.

The new guidelines clearly state that each private university must be established by a separate State act rather than a single act as is being done by the Chhattisgarh State. Another important component is that the private university has to operate "ordinarily within the boundary of the State concerned." Only in exceptional circumstances the private universities will be permitted to open off campus centres, offshore campuses and study centres after five years of the university's existence.

Officials say this will have immense implications on students of the private universities set up under the Chhattisgarh Act. An official in the Andhra Pradesh State Council of Higher Education says that in the case of the private universities set up under the Chattisgarh Act, the main campus in the State is yet to be established while they started offshore campuses in Andhra Pradesh.

"These institutions would now face a problem of their diplomas and degrees being derecognised", he warns. Universities established under the Uttranchal State Government Act are also likely to be hit. But unlike Chhattisgarh, Uttaranchal has a separate act for each University set up.

As per the new guidelines, the defaulting "private university" will be fined as per Section 24 of the UGC Act. The move comes in view of growing concerns of the quality of education offered at these institutes and to safeguard the interests of the student community.

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