JOIN USThe University Grants Commission (UGC) will discontinue financial assistance to universities from 2015 if they fail to get accredited by June 1 next year.
A decision to this effect was taken by the higher education regulator at its meeting held here recently. The Commission has toughened its stand as a large number of varsities have not yet taken any initiative to get accredited even after it was made mandatory earlier this year.
The UGC made assessment and accreditation of higher educational institutions mandatory by notifying it on March 4 this year as a Bill seeking to achieve this objective was pending in Parliament.
Out of a total 700 universities and 33,539 colleges across the country, only 179 universities and 2,224 colleges have so far got accreditation, complying with the UGC regulation.
As per the UGC regulation, all those higher educational institutions, other than medical colleges, which have been operating for six years or have sent out two batches of students trained under its various academic programmes will have to apply for accreditation within six months from the date of notification of the rules and procedures.
Sources in the Commission said that as many as 133 such varsities are yet to apply for accreditation. Out of these varsities, 88 are state universities, 22 deemed universities, 16 private universities and seven central universities.
This makes a clear case for discontinuation of financial assistance to these varsities. The commission, however, decided to give them a second chance and fixed June 1, 2014 as the fresh deadline for compliance.
“All these varsities are dependent on UGC funds for their day to day functioning, including payment of salary of their employees. They have been given a second chance to get accredited keeping in view the interest of students and employees. But, if they fail to meet this deadline too, the UGC will have no other option than to take action as per the regulation,” sources in the Commission told Deccan Herald.
The centre had recently asked the state governments to impress upon all the higher educational institutions functioning under them to apply for accreditation as a majority of them were yet to comply with the UGC direction.