AICTE takes on UGC burden of regulating standalone institutions

All standalone institutions will be regulated by the All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE) from this year.

The University Grants Commission (UGC) has given up its authority to regulate these institutions, which are categorised as those offering diploma level courses in various streams.

Higher education institutions, which are not affiliated to any university but recognised by various councils or ministries of the government, as well as polytechnics fall under the category of standalone institutions.

The decision to hand over the responsibility of regulating these institutions to the AICTE was taken by the UGC  at its recent meeting, ending confusion over jurisdiction of the two regulatory bodies to regulate various types of   standalone institutions as a major chunk of these institutions  offer teachers' training courses.

A committee of experts, set up to review the rules for allowing higher education institutions offer distance education in various streams except in engineering, had recommended placing all standalone institutions under the jurisdiction of the AICTE.

Power to regulate

"The AICTE has a provision in its Act which vests authority in it to regulate standalone institutions," a UGC official said.

There are 11,669 standalone higher education institutions. Of them, 3,672 institutions offer diploma courses in technical education, 4,308  teachers training, 3,077 nursing, 433 post-graduate diploma in management and 179 institutions are functioning directly under various government bodies.

Only 24% of the standalone institutions are run by the government and  the rest are private.