The University Grants Commission (UGC) has asked universities to stop granting any further affiliation to colleges offering technical or professional degrees till further communication. The crucial decision ahead of the coming new academic session comes in the wake of a Supreme Court's ruling last month that colleges do not need AICTE's approval for running MBA and MCA courses.
While the HRD Ministry has already initiated steps to bring an ordinance restoring the powers of All India Council for Technical Education, the UGC's directive has come as it is in the process of working suitable guidelines and regulations in view of the apex court ruling. The guidelines would ensure standard of teaching and learning in affiliated colleges offering professional and technical courses.
last month, the Supreme Court court had ruled that colleges affiliated to a university do not come under the purview of the definition of 'technical institution' as defined in the AICTE Act and in such a case, AICTE cannot directly control or supervise affiliated colleges. It had ruled that AICTE was only an advisory body and colleges affiliated to various universities are not required to take its approval for running MBA programmes.
The UGC in its notice said "any dilution of standards of technical education at this juncture would also belie the trust reposed by the Supreme Court on the sanctity of the autonomy of universities.
Earlier this week the HRD Ministry cleared a proposal to bring an ordinance restoring the powers of AICTE after a Supreme Court ruling that it was only an advisory body and colleges affiliated to various universities are not required to take its approval for running MBA programmes. The proposal to amend the AICTE Act through the ordinance route was cleared by HRD Minister MM Pallam Raju and has been sent to the law Ministry, HRD
Ministry officials said. They said since the matter required immediate attention to stop mushrooming of institutes offering management programme, the ordinance is being brought in.
The apex court in its ruling in April had said that as per provisions of the AICTE Act and UGC Act, the former has no authority which empowers it to issue or enforce any sanctions on colleges affiliated with the universities as its role is to provide guidance and recommendations.
The court also said MCA is a technical course while MBA is "not a technical course" within definition of AICTE Act. Ministry officials said the ordinance would seek to rectify the anomalies by redefining technical education and making clear mention of institutes and universities which require the prior AICTE approval.