The Hindu : Karnataka / Bangalore News : Students cautioned against joining off-campus centres of private varsities

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Friday, Jun 19, 2009
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Karnataka - Bangalore

Students cautioned against joining off-campus centres of private varsities

Special Correspondent

Government ‘informally inquiring’ into legal status of off-campus centres
There has been violation of UGC and AICTE rules by some institutions

BANGALORE: Even as Bangalore University has cautioned students against enrolling themselves in 11 colleges affiliated to it for infrastructure inadequacies, the University Grants Commission (UGC) has sought to alert students against joining the off-campus centres of private universities established outside the territorial jurisdiction of the State where it has been permitted.

The UGC caution comes close on the heels of a probe being carried out by the Karnataka Government to verify the legal status of more than 50 such off-campus centres of up-country private universities, which are on an admission spree, in various parts of the State, particularly Bangalore, by issuing advertisements in print as well as electronic media.

The UGC has pointed out that these private universities, which had been established by Acts of legislatures of different States, are neither empowered to affiliate an institution or college to it nor establish an off-campus centre outside the territorial jurisdiction of the State. “However, they can establish off-campus centres within the State concerned after their existence of five years and with the prior approval of UGC,” said a statement from the UGC.

Further, the UGC has stated that it has, so far, not approved any off-campus centre for any of the 39 private universities established in different States across India. “It has come to the notice of the UGC that some of the private universities had affiliated colleges and started off-campus centres beyond the territorial jurisdiction of their State in violation of UGC (Establishment and Maintenance of Standards in Private Universities) 2003…”, the UGC stated.

Minister for Higher Education Aravind Limbavali told The Hindu that the State Government was “informally inquiring” into the legal status of off-campus centres of several up-country private universities. “We are basically inquiring into two categories of institutions. If one category comprises off-campus centres of private universities from outside Karnataka, the other category comprises of fake colleges with dubious credentials”, he said.

He said the State Government had drawn up a list of 50 such colleges all over the State, particularly in Bangalore.

Citing the case of a well-known private university from Uttar Pradesh that often issues advertisements in newspapers inviting applications for educational programmes, Mr. Limbavali said the off-campus centre of the university had a good campus with the required infrastructure. “But, they are not just aware of the rules. They did not know the UGC rules. We have warned them,” he said.

Mr. Limbavali said there were some institutions offering degree programmes in business management and computer applications, which had transgressed rules of not only UGC, but also the AICTE.

Mr. Limbavali said he hoped the inquiry to be completed in the next two weeks and the Government would initiate action on the basis of the outcome of the inquiry.

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