M A I N   N E W S

44 varsities may lose deemed status
Aditi Tandon
Tribune News Service

New Delhi, January 18
Following an year-long dissection of performance of 130 existing deemed-to-be universities in the country, the government panel constituted for the purpose has recommended withdrawal of the deemed status from 44 institutions, found committing academic lapses, including allowing families to run institutions.

The government has accepted the committee recommendations, but would have to wait for the Supreme Court to take a view on the issue, as it is hearing a civil writ petition on the matter. The court had in November last directed the government to come back to it on the issue.

In its affidavit filed in the Supreme Court today, the government submitted the review committee report, which lists 44 erring institutions for de-recognition as deemed. Of these, the highest-16- are in Tamil Nadu, followed by 6 in Karnataka, 4 in Uttar Pradesh, 3 each in Haryana and Maharashtra, Uttarakhand and Rajasthan, and one each in Gujarat, Bihar, Andhra Pradesh, Puducherry and New Delhi.

The institutions listed to lose their deemed status in Haryana are Maharishi Markandeshwar University, Ambala; Lingayas’ University, Nachauli, Faridabad; and Manav Rachna International University, Faridabad. In Uttarakhand, HIHT University, Swami Rama Nagar, Dehradun; Gurukul Kangri Vishvavidyalaya, Haridwar; and Graphic Era University on Clement Road, Dehradun, could face de-recognition, subject to the SC decision. Blacklisted institutions in Rajasthan include Janardan Rai Nagar Rajasthan Vidyapith, Pratapnagar, Udaipur; Institute of Advanced Studies in Education, Gandhi Vidya Mandir, Sadarsheher; and Mody Institute of Technology and Science, Lakshmangarh, Sikar.

Of the deficient institutions, 41 are privately managed, and three are government funded, including Nava Nalanda Mahavihara in Nalanda, Bihar; Rajiv Gandhi National Youth Development Institute, Sriperumbudur, Tamil Nadu; and National Institute of the History of Art, Conservation and Museology, New Delhi. The de-recognition move, if it comes through following the SC intervention, would affect the futures of over 2 lakh students, with 2,03,322 currently pursuing courses with the erring institutions. Accordingly, the task force constituted to implement the committee recommendations has said the erring universities could seek affiliation to the state university of jurisdiction to enable students to complete courses. “Existing colleges not found suitable to continue should revert to their status as affiliated college of the state university of jurisdiction to enable the students to finish courses and obtain degrees,” the task force said.

It has further advised the government to make every effort to facilitate migration or re-enrolment of the students to equivalent courses in other institutions in case their own institution, after losing its deemed tag, is unable to attain affiliation of the state university concerned.

As for the review committee, it found only 38 institutions justifying their deemed position while another 44, it said, would be allowed three years time to come up to the academic standards desired of them.