UGC Set to Revisit Order on Closure of Off-Campus Centres

UGC Set to Revisit Order on Closure of Off-Campus Centres

WAY OUT May grant one-time exemption to institutes

A month after the University Grants Commission shot off notices ordering 10 top deemed universities including Tata Institute of Fundamental Research, Birla Institute of Technology & Science at Pilani & Mesra and the Homi Bhabha National Institute to immediately close their off-campus centres, it is set to revisit the issue.

A proposal to review the matter and even possibly grant a one-time exemption to the institutes is lined up on the agenda of a UGC Commission meeting scheduled next week.

Many of the institutes are said to have written to the UGC and the Ministry of Human Resource Development, arguing they should be allowed to continue running their off-campus centres, many of which were set up before they were conferred with deemed university status. The vice chancellors of many of the deemed universities met UGC officials and the secretary of the HRD ministry to explain their position and find a way out.

“The entire issue will be discussed threadbare at the commission meeting. These are all established and prestigious universities and there is a proposal to grant them a possible one-time exemption. However, a final view on the same will only be taken at the meeting of the full UGC Commission scheduled for next week,“ highly placed UGC officials confirmed to ET.

The country's apex higher education regulator had shot off the notices on November 9 to TIFR, BITS Pilani and Mesra, HBNI, Narsee Monjee Institute of Management Studies, Indian School of Mines Dhanbad, Banasthali University, PRIST in Tamil Nadu, Indian Veterinary Research Institute and Lakshmibai National University of Physical Education in Gwalior.

The UGC asked them to “immediately close down the unauthorised off-campus centres“ saying they were established without prior approval of the ministry , failing which “necessary action“ would be taken. 

Source | Economic Times | 16 December 2015

Regards

ralhad Jadhav

Senior Librarian

Khaitan & Co