Those looking to set up private universities in Uttar Pradesh will be required to submit an undertaking that the varsity will not get involved in “anti-national activities of any sort.”
The varsities would also have to submit that they would not allow such activities to take place on their premises or in the name of the varsity.
Such acts will be considered a violation of the conditions provided for the setting up of the universities and would authorise the State government to take action according to the relevant legal provisions.
The above provisions are part of the conditions laid down by the Uttar Pradesh Private Universities Ordinance, 2019 that was approved by Yogi Adityanath’s Cabinet on Tuesday.
As per a government press note, national integration, secularism, social harmony, international goodwill, moral building and “desh bhakti” (patriotism) have been included among the objectives of universities under the UPPUO.
With the UPPOU, all private universities in UP, including the 27 existing ones, would come under an umbrella act. Currently, the private universities in the State have been set up and are running through separate acts and sanctions.
However, the umbrella act would override all the acts as a “controlling body” to monitor and regulate the private varsities, said Sidharth Nath Singh, a Cabinet minister.
The new system would look to bring uniformity to the fee structure, quality of education, implementation of the UGC guidelines and would attempt to “introduce the best practices of international universities,” said Mr. Singh.
Among the proposals are that a minimum of 75% of teachers appointed to the private universities would be permanent and not contractual and their quality would be monitored online, Mr. Singh said.
A university in a city would need to have a minimum land space of 20 acre while in rural areas they would need to be spread over 50 acre. The existing 27 universities have one year to implement the new changes.
