UGC

According to a public notice issued by University Grants Commission (UGC) New Delhi-based Indian Institute of Planning and Management (IIPM) is not recognised by the government or any other India’s higher education bodies.

Throwing light on the ‘not so encouraging’ condition of Indian higher education scenario, a parliamentary panel has found only 30 percent universities and 10 percent colleges in the country to be of high quality. Rest all, as reported by the panel, are of either ‘low or mediocre standards’.

The Ministry of Human Resource Development might be steadily moving towards implementation of important reforms recommended by the committee led by Prof. Yash Pal, but the latter does not seem to be amused by the way the ministry is going about the matter.

Noting a non-serious attitude towards anti-ragging regulations in most of the country’s regulatory councils in higher education, the Supreme Court appointed Raghavan Committee minced no words at a meeting to indicate the non-acceptance of this lackadaisical attitude.

According to a report of the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) the University Grants Commission (UGC) has granted deemed university status to many institutions even though these institutes were not meeting the laid down criteria of eligibility. The report also revealed that the UGC granted deemed status to institutions against the recommendations of expert committee and state governments.

The National Council of Higher Education and Research (NCHER) Bill, which proposes constitution of an umbrella body for regulation and control over higher education in India, has drawn opposition from various parties and states. Sudarshan Roychowdhury, minister for higher education, West Bengal, has declared that the state government would oppose the Bill in its present form. 

The Ministry of Human Resource and Development has identified 201 private management and technical education institutes in the country running unapproved courses, HRD Minister Kapil Sibal informed Lok Sabha.

In a latest decision the University Grants Commission (UGC) has announced its intentions of not extending any financial aid to colleges and varsities that are still without assessment by the National Accreditation and Assessment Council (NAAC). The decision has left the Uttar Pradesh (UP) higher education council scurrying into action, as the number of un-assessed colleges and varsities in the state is alarmingly high.

Some of the deemed universities of the country might find themselves in a tight spot as a government panel set up to review their functioning found them running unapproved distance learning programmes and has recommended legal action against them after the discontinuation of the courses with immediate effect.

While the government envisions the National Council for Higher Education as the ultimate regulatory body to govern higher education in the country, the West Bengal government feels otherwise. Calling the move an effort which will lead to over centralisation of the higher education system; the state government has resolved to oppose the forthcoming draft of the National Council of Higher Education Research Bill.