UGC deadline for Mahatma Gandhi University to shut down off-campus centres

Report to be filed on July 23

The University Grants Commission (UGC) has set July 23 as deadline for the Mahatma Gandhi University to submit a compliance report after closing down its seven international and six national off-campus centres.

The apex body’s latest missive came after it turned down a request by the university Vice Chancellor in-charge Sheena Shukkur to review the decision to shut down the 13 centres functioning outside the State and abroad. The university authorities will have to close down its seven international off-campus centres at Sharjah, Doha, Bahrain, Dubai, Kuwait, Abu Dhabi and Oman and the national centres in Gujarat, Jharkhand, Maharashtra, West Bengal, Karnataka and the Union Territory of New Delhi before July 23 as per the UGC directive.

The Hindu had reported on June 24 that the Distance Education Bureau (DEB) of the commission found that the centres were opened in violation of the UGC guidelines on territorial jurisdiction. In a letter dated July 8 sent to the Vice Chancellor, D.K. Rao, Deputy Director of DEB, has requested the university not to admit any students in the programmes offered through distance mode for the year 2014-15.

The DEB letter pointed out that the UGC has been time and again requesting the State universities to limit offering their programmes within the territorial jurisdiction of their Act and statutes but not beyond the boundary of the respective State of their enactment.

“The State university is not authorised/competent to open study centres/off campus centres beyond the territorial jurisdiction of the State as per the judgement of the Hon’ble Supreme Court in the case of Prof. Yashpal vs. State of Chhattisgarh,” it said.

The regulatory body recalled that it had written to all the universities or State governments on April 16, 2009, to stop all State or State private universities from operating beyond the territorial jurisdiction in any manner either in the form of off-campus or study centre or affiliated college and the centres opened through franchises. University officials said the UGC’s latest directive would be discussed at the syndicate meeting to be held on July 19.