New Delhi: A high-level committee, appointed by the government to review the functioning of the deemed universities, is likely to suggest withdrawal of the status from a few institutions for serious shortcomings in their facilities and poor standard of faculty.
The committee, which is likely to submit its report to
the HRD Ministry tomorrow, may recommend the tough action with
a suggestion that the government should give the institutions
some time to comply with, sources said.
The government will bring a bill for accreditation of
institutions and the bill will set entry barriers for
institutions to become universities. The deemed universities
can go through the process and become universities if they
pass the entry barriers, sources said.
The committee comprising Prof M Ananthakrishnan, Prof
Mrinal Miri, Prof Govardhan Mehta and Prof P N Tandon have
finalised the report after going through the presentations
made by 126 deemed universities of the existing 130. Four
deemed universities have not made any presentation before the
committee, the sources said.
The committee is learnt to have found serious
shortcomings in quality of faculty and facility in some
institutions, sources said. It may suggest that such
institutions should go back to their earlier status of college
if they fail to fulfil the requirements within a certain
period of time.
The committee members went through the presentations
of the deemed universities and examined the documents to
ascertain the quality of faculty, facilities, fee structure,
admission and examination system in these institutions.
The committee, set by HRD Minister Kapil Sibal in June,
was mandated to find out whether the deemed universities have
the required facilities and faculty and if they delivered what
they had promised before being conferred the status.
The government appointed such a committee in view of
allegations that certain undeserving institutions have got the
deemed university status. The government in the last five
years has given such status to over 60 institutions, while
about 60 institutions had got the status since 1956 to 2004.
Another committee on `Renovation and Rejuvenation of
Higher Education` has said that majority of these institutes
delude students and the status should be withdrawn if they
fail to fulfil the accreditation norms in three years. It said
such institutions are not established with any educational
purpose.
Sibal has said that all the deemed universities will be
regulated and action be taken on the basis of the
recommendation of the four-member committee. The report of the
committee will be put on the ministry`s website, he has said.
The government has instructed the deemed universities to
have personal websites, displaying the faculty position and
their addresses.
Bureau Report
