New Delhi: The Union HRD Ministry has told the Supreme Court that it has given sufficient opportunity to 130 deemed universities to explain their academic performance
before deciding to de-recognise 44 of them for failing to meet the requisite standards.
Stoutly defending its decision, the Centre in its additional affidavit said its high-powered review committee and task force was more concerned with the academic excellence
of these universities, rather than the infrastructural facilities.
A special bench headed by Justice Dalveer Bhandari would take up the matter on Monday when the apex court reopens after the week-long Holi recess.
"That the review committee was concerned, not so much with availability of land, buildings, other infrastructure, institutional finance, but primarily with issues relating to
academic and research excellence, innovation, emerging areas of knowledge, post graduate education, governance structures and an overall milieu conducive to the concept of a university," the affidavit said.
The government rejected the claims of the aggrieved universities that they were not given any opportunity to present their view points before putting them on the hit-list
for de-recognition. The apex court had earlier restrained the government from de-recognising the universities until it decided the dispute.
"The review committee constituted by the government invited all 130 institutions deemed to be universities for presentations and face-to-face discussions. However, 126 institutions attended the presentation sessions.
"Further, it is mentioned that the entire presentation session for each such institution 'deemed to be university' has been video-graphed live. Elaborate and exhaustive
questionnaires seeking all relevant information were also sent to these institutions well in advance.
"The committee analysed the information collected from institutions through the questionnaires and that obtained during the presentations and interaction on behalf of the
responding institutions, and finally submitted its report," the Centre said referring to the October 2009 report of the review committee directing de-recognition of the 44 varsities.
The HRD ministry reiterated that universities sought to be de-recognised were being run as family fiefdoms, rather than as institutions of academic excellence which they claim
to be.
"The review committee came across several aberrations in the functioning of some of the institutions deemed to be universities. It found undesirable management architecture
where families, rather than professional academics, controlled the functioning of such institutions.
"It found that several such institutions had violated the principles and guidelines prescribing excellence in teaching and research or innovations were engaged in thoughtless introduction of unrelated programmes and proliferation of degrees beyond the mandate of the original terms of grant of deemed to be university status," the affidavit said.
PTI
First Published: Sunday, March 07, 2010, 12:13