Now, prestigious colleges can award degrees on their own

The major reformative step, which would reduce the burden on universities, is likely to be implemented through a statute, sources in the Human Resources Development Ministry said today.

Currently, the institutions depend on larger universities to award degrees.
Granting greater academic freedom is one of the suggestions of the N R Madhava Menon committee, which was set up to evolve a comprehensive policy for autonomy of Central educational institutions.

Sources said colleges which have attained eminence across the country like St Xavier's and St Stephen's could be granted powers through a special statute to award degrees.
The suggestion of the committee comes in the backdrop of the HRD Ministry bringing a series of legislations to reform the higher education sector.

Some of the legislations, which have already been introduced in Parliament, could be taken up this week, sources said.

They include the Indian Institute of Technology (Amendment) Bill, the National Institute of Technology (Amendment) Bill and the Education Tribunals Bill.

Sources said the Ministry has set up an internal committee to implement the recommendations of the Madhava Menon committee which is understood to have also suggested allowing Indian Institutes of Management (IIMs) to grant degrees.
The IIMs at present award diplomas for their post graduate management programmes.
The panel is also believed to have recommended major reforms in the higher education, favouring a single uniform act to govern the IIMs, IITs and central universities and doing away with the role of the Visitor to central universities.

Sources said the suggestions would be studied in depth while implementing the suggestions.

The panel is also understood to have suggested that all universities switch to choice-based credit courses along with the semester system in the minimum possible time to make the academic structure flexible and promote student mobility, both in the country and abroad.

Though the universities should aim for a complete internal evaluation of students over a period of time with individual teacher having full autonomy in evaluation, there could be a mix of internal and external evaluation during the transition period, it said.