Follow norms: UGC to foreign, desi universities

In a bid to regulate the agreements between Indian and foreign universities, the UGC has issued a notice to universities stating that their agreements will be deemed invalid if they are found to be against the norms laid down by the UGC. The UGC has said that universities will be held responsible for the losses to students if the agreements are against the norms. One of the important norms is verification on whether the foreign university is permitted to offer courses outside its native country.

The norms include foreign universities having a proper campus and proper visa rules in place as well as having proper facilities for students going from here and a redressal system and so on.

According to the warning issued by Mr Jaspal Sandhu, secretary, UGC, there are universities and institutions in India that are collaborating with foreign universities that do not comply with the norms laid down in the UGC Act which has also been issued through government gazettes from time to time. Mr Sandhu said that as these collaborative courses being offered by Indian universities do not conform to the set standards, the degrees thus earned would not be treated as legal.

Explaining the issue, J.M. Abhyankar, a senior academician and administrator, said, “In recent years with a view to offer high in demand self-financing and professional courses, Indian universities and institutions enter into collaboration with foreign universities and offer their courses in India. However, various norms related to infrastructure, teaching faculty, campus and so on are compromised, resulting in students being short-changed. Many a time the collaborations are illegal as the foreign universities and schools are not permitted to enter into collaborations with other universities by their own governments,” he said.

Jayant Jain, president of Forum for Fairness in Education, said, “Commercialisation has become rampant and educational institutions have become business houses. The UGC has done well to try and curb the same as most of the institutions offering foreign courses do not have the requisite facilities.”

Source | Financial Express | 20 September 2015