The University Grants Commission (UGC) has come out with the UGC (Institutions Deemed-to-be Universities) Regulations 2010 to prevent institutions of dubious quality from claiming the status of deemed-to-be university.
The regulations, recently approved by the UGC, will replace the existing guidelines governing such universities and will make it mandatory for them to follow the regulations, unlike the guidelines.
The regulations followed a report of the expert committee that found that many existing deemed-to-be universities were not following the guidelines, after a public interest litigation filed in the Supreme Court questioning the quality of education in such institutions.
During an interaction with TheHindu on the sidelines of a seminar on “International Women's Day: a ritual or an achievement' in Bangalore on Monday, UGC chairperson Sukhadeo Thorat said the regulations will be effective from the present academic year.
“One of the stringent regulations is a bar on the president or his or her relatives of the sponsoring society or trust of the deemed-to-be university from occupying the post of chancellor,” Professor Thorat said. Also, there will not be a post of pro-chancellor in such institutions.
The UGC has kept control over the appointment of the vice-chancellor. “The vice-chancellor shall be an eminent academic and shall be appointed by the chancellor on the recommendation of a search committee consisting of a nominee of the government, who shall be nominated in consultation with the UGS, a nominee of the chancellor, and a nominee of the Board of Management. The committee shall be headed by nominee of the Board.”
