The Hindu : Kerala News : UGC asks universities to ensure quality in twinning programmes

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Friday, Mar 17, 2006

Kerala

Kerala

UGC asks universities to ensure quality in twinning programmes

Staff Reporter

KOCHI: The University Grants Commission has asked universities and colleges to ensure quality while initiating twinning programmes with foreign universities.

The Commission guideline would act as a pointer to the Cochin University of Science and Technology and Mahatma Gandhi University that had entered into agreements with foreign universities during the International Education Meet in Kochi recently.

Mahatma Gandhi University had signed agreements with the International University of Business Agriculture and Technology in Bangladesh for initiating collaborative programmes in nursing, business, management, engineering and computer science.

The university signed an MoU with Mzumbe University for exchange programmes involving teachers and students in areas like law, communication, and research and training.

With Catholic University, Belgium, the university had decided to launch joint programmes in nursing, life science, behavioural sciences, and psychology.

The Cochin University of Science and Technology signed MoUs with De Montfort University, U.K., Tilberg University, the Netherlands, the International University of Business Agriculture and Technology, Mzumbe University, Tanzania, Eastern University and the University of Peradeniya in Sri Lanka.

Cusat also entered into an agreement with University College Sedaya International (UCSI), Kuala Lumpur, and Manitoba University in Canada for introducing twinning programmes.

Sources said that the University Grants Commission had asked universities and affiliated colleges to maintain quality while launching twinning programmes. Partner institutions should not dilute the quality of education offered to students enrolling for such programmes. The Commission would play a promotion role in ensuring quality of twinning programmes.

Universities and affiliated colleges enjoy the freedom to enter into an agreement with a foreign educational institution for a joint programme. But care should be taken to verify the academic credentials of the foreign partner before signing an agreement.

This information should be passed on to the Commission. Such steps had been taken after reports that some of the universities in the country entered into agreement without properly verifying the credentials of its foreign partner.

From academic collaborations, some of the agreements had also narrowed down to mere "business collaborations". Most of the institutions are charging fee ranging from Rs.5 to 15 lakhs for a twinning programme.

The universities will have to check exploitation of students while formulating twinning programmes. Moreover, efforts should also be made to ensure that partner institutions abroad are recognised globally.

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