HRD wants to be in sync with UGC report on deemed status

Updated on: Friday, November 13, 2009

New Delhi: The HRD ministry, soon after realizing that the report of its deemed university review committee is impossible to implement because of its serious findings and recommendations; it is unlikely to take any severe action against them.

Much after the report was handed over to the HRD minister Kapil Sibal, the ministry has now asked the panel to make 'supplementary observations.'

Finding out 'supplementary observations', would mean attenuating the HRD committee's report, which would make it easier for the ministry act against the below par institutions.

According to an official, 'No severe action is expected from the ministry. In fact, all the below par deemed universities are supposed to get time to improve their lot'.

Another official who wished to remain anonymous, said, 'A huge controversy is surely expected out of the review committee's report in the present form. There are numerous institutions in Tamil Nadu and other states found lacking in the necessary academic and other infrastructure facilities but due to their political tie-up, the HRD ministry's hands are tied up.'

According to the report submitted by the ministry's committee, forty plus universities, out of which most of them are private, are not worthy of the deemed status.

The committee found only 38 deemed universities to have excellent infrastructure and 44 could maintain the deemed status after improving their drawback but the rest, which is a little over 40, were unfit to hang on to deemed university status.

According to the sources, of the deemed universities which do not fulfill the requirements of the ministry's report, three are located in Haryana and two each in Uttarakhand and Uttar Pradesh.

The major chunk of universities that is unfit for the status lies in South India, especially in Karnataka and Tamil Nadu region.

The members of the ministry's review committee recently met Sibal to arrive at a consensus such that even though the ministry was seen to be taking action, the deemed universities do not face any immediate crisis.

After taking a tough stand against the deemed universities, the committee members have now been asked to present the report on the same wavelength as that of the University Grants Commission (UGC).

In spite of the inefficiency of the university to carry a deemed status, the UGC panel has recommended that they be given three more years for improvement.

As a matter of fact, the HRD ministry cannot take any action against its own report which is another reason for the ministry's eagerness to present its report in sync with that of UGC.

Since UGC's discretion is involved to award the status to the universities, even action against them should be based on its recommendation.

HRD wants to be in sync with UGC report on deemed status

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