JOIN USPlaint against UoM for starting MBA outreach programmes
University of Mysore (UoM) has granted permission to start MBA outreach programmes from the next academic year, by allegedly violating government orders and guidelines regarding territorial jurisdiction of a varsity.
According to a complaint filed with the Lokayukta on January 28, by RTI activist Sekar S Iyer, Syndicate of UoM had ratified the courses, during a meeting held on December 4, 2014. However, the Higher Education Department had issued an order on October 14, 2014, advising varsities to restrict their educational activities to their ‘Territorial Jurisdiction’, stipulated by the Karnataka State Universities Act, 2000.
According to the State government order, the varsities were directed to start courses or affiliate institute only in its territorial limits, following a Supreme Court ruling. The ruling, which states that varsities should confine to their territorial jurisdiction, even while starting correspondence courses, was also adapted by the University Grants Commission. The State government issued an order regarding the same in October 2014.
In the complaint, Iyer has blamed Vice-Chancellor of the varsity, K S Rangappa and Syndicate members of UoM as being responsible for the violation of government order. Granting permission for outreach MBA programmes run by institutions outside the territorial jurisdiction of UoM, was “illegal and unlawful”, he said.
Documents available with Deccan Herald show that institutions such as International School of Business and Research Centre, Bengaluru, Asian Institute of Management and Sciences, Guwahati and Centre for Human Genetics, Bengaluru, were among the institutions outside UoM’s territorial jurisdiction to which the varsity granted permission to start courses. He said that most of these institutions did not have even basic facilities, like buildings.
AICTE approval
The complainant has also noted that the institutions to which permission was granted, had not obtained approval from All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE) to start the courses. However, UoM Syndicate did not consider the requirement before granting permission, he said.
Responding to an RTI query by Iyer, regarding MBA outreach programmes of UoM, AICTE on January 16 had stated that it “has not approved any programme to offer MBA course under outreach programme of Mysore University”.
Iyer also noted that UoM has also violated UGC directions by ratifying the courses.
Commenting on the issue, a senior professor of the varsity, under the condition of anonymity said that earlier, UoM had a statute to grant affiliation to outreach centres in the past and has granted affiliation to about 100 centres till date. However, the statute is not valid following the government order, he said. Violating the order, with or without keeping the Syndicate in the dark, would amount to criminal breach of faith, prosecutable under Indian Penal Code, he said.
‘Programmes approved’
C Basavaraju, Registrar, UoM said that the outreach programmes were ratified, based on a special statute to conduct such programmes, which have been approved by the State government and the Governor. The outreach programmes can be discontinued only if the Governor withdraws the statute of the varsity, he said.
Territorial jurisdiction
On Territorial Jurisdiction, he said that taking a decision about the same would amount to sub judice, as a suit has been filed against the varsity in Delhi High Court, by a private institute regarding outreach programmes, about eight months ago. “We are awaiting the Delhi High Court decision regarding the issue. Appropriate action regarding continuing the outreach programme will be taken, based on the Court order,” he said.