The ‘Distinct Institution‘ will be enabled through an upcoming amendment to the UGC (Institutions Deemed to be Universities) Regulations, 2022, but kept free of the usual requirements on accreditations and ranking grades.
The special category will be open to both central and state government entities as well as a private sponsoring body with philanthropic or social/ educational/ cultural development ambitions. A cluster of institutions will also be allowed to come together to create such an institute.
New greenfield institutions will be encouraged under the ‘Distinct Institution’ category to push up the country’s General Enrolment Ratio and address the aspirations of Indian students, top officials in the know told ET.
The ‘Distinct Institutions’ will be freed of many eligibility/entry related provisions applied to other deemed varsities but will be required to start operation with at least five academic programmes and requisite physical and academic infrastructure, it is envisaged.
The new category is part of the larger move to once again amend the regulations for deemed to be universities and attune them to the National Education Policy, 2020.
With the entry of the ‘Distinct Institution’, the existing ‘de novo’ category of institutions was discontinued as it was largely seen as restrictive.NEP 2020, on the other hand, calls for a simpler regulatory regime that is ‘light but tight’. The same will be reflected in the new regulations under consideration for all 126-plus deemed to be universities in the country.
ET gathers that the Centre is likely to propose to do away with the annual renewal process that every deemed varsity must currently undergo to retain the status of a ‘university’. It is likely to be proposed in the draft regulations that ‘university’ status, once attained, will stay with an institute for good.
However, monitoring systems will be in place to ensure that performance and quality parameters are maintained. Some of these will be attainment of a desirable NAAC accreditation grade and NIRF ranking within five years; job placement/self-employment of 50% of the graduates; teacher student ratio of 1:20, not more than 10% teacher vacancy at any point, declaration of data on admissions and approvals of courses on its website. In case an institute slips up on performance and academic outcome, an expert committee will make recommendations for rectification and allow a time period for the same. Only in case of failure to do so can an expert committee recommend withdrawal of the ‘deemed to be university’ status on which the UGC and Ministry of Education act respectively.
The UGC also proposes to do away with the infamous physical ‘inspection regime’ and instead institute physical verification only on receipt of a complaint on the above mentioned parameters.
The new regulations further propose to ease up on rules for setting up of off-campus centres.
While the NEP also recommends doing away with complex nomenclature of HEIs in the country such as ‘deemed to be university’, ‘affiliating university’ etc, the Centre will only be able to do so once the UGC Act, 1950 is subsumed with the creation of the Higher Education Council of India. However, pending the HECI creation, the Centre wants to usher in reforms in the deemed university ecosystem so it can seamlessly integrate later, sources explained. The very system of deemed varsities has been a hotly debated one with rulebook changes effected frequently.
