UGC grants autonomy to 60 Higher Education Institutions

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New Delhi : The University Grants Commission (UGC), in a historic decision on March 20, 2018, granted autonomy to sixty Higher Educational Institutions which have maintained high academic standards. This was announced by the Minister for Human Resource Development (HRD) Prakash Javadekar at a media briefing in New Delhi.

Javadekar said that the Government is striving to introduce a liberalized regime in the education sector and emphasis is on linking autonomy with quality. He said that the sixty Higher Educational Institutions, which have been granted autonomy, include 52 Universities i.e. 5 central universities, 21 state universities, 24 deemed universities, and 2 private universities.

Javadekar explained that these universities will remain within the ambit of  UGC but will have the freedom to start new courses, off campus centers, skill development courses, research parks and any other new academic programmes. They will also have the freedom to hire foreign faculty, enroll foreign students, give incentive based emoluments to the faculty, enter into academic collaborations and run open distance learning programmes, according to a PIB release.

Eight colleges have also been granted autonomy, the HRD Minister said. The eight autonomous collages will be free to set their own syllabus, hold examinations, carry out evaluation as well as declare results. In this case, only the degree will be awarded by the respective university. Javadekar said that a show cause notice will be given to three deemed universities which are lacking in quality.