The decision to form the association was taken at a day-long deliberation of Chancellors and Vice-Chancellors from 32 universities across the country. The directors of two NITs were also present at the meeting.
The meeting felt that though the government has taken steps to improve higher education in the country, the private and deemed universities were "left out" of the reforms process.
In his inaugural address, Manipal University Chancellor Dr M Ramdass M Pai said all the commissions and committees appointed by the government have favoured greater autonomy to universities in conducting academic programmes. But bureaucracy and political system have worked in the opposite direction, he added.
He said the National Commission for Higher Education and Research Bill aims at creation of centralised authority.
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