Chennai: A section of deemed universities has raised its concerns about UGC’s new regulation for technical institutions and urged the Union government to bring down the number of regulatory bodies and regulations, which control the functioning of universities and colleges in the country.
G. Viswanathan, VIT founder-chancellor and president of Education Promotion Society for India (EPSI), said that the University Grants Commission (UGC) had drafted its new regulations for technical institutions without consulting the stakeholders—state governments, colleges and universities.
“Our members unanimously feel that the new draft regulations, released last week, has stringent clauses, punishments and fine even for minor issues. We urge the HRD ministry not to implement it. The status quo should continue, as the term of the present government will soon come to an end. The new government that will come at the Centre can take a view on this,” he said.
Calling United Progressive Alliance’s (UPA) second term (2009-13) as dark period for the education sector, the EPSI president lamented that union HRD ministry failed to accord sanction for deemed university in its second term.
“We should aim at universities with responsibility and autonomy. We want a system where there is no corruption or capitation,” he said, adding that members of the society stoutly oppose UGC’s move making approval of renewal of colleges every year, besides getting the UGC’s nod before signing pacts with foreign educational institutions.
Stating that AICTE had brought in a transparent system to bring down corruption, Viswanathan said he was not sure whether this would continue in future.
EPSI members also urged the Union government to grant autonomous status to higher educational institutions started 10 years
ago.
