Six varsities in State may lose deemed status

DHNS

38 similar institutions in the country face decertification, apex court told

New Delhi: Six deemed universities in Karnataka are in the Centre’s list of 44 institutions facing derecognition countrywide, Solicitor General Gopal Subramanium informed the Supreme Court here on Monday. 

 
The deemed universities from the State will be decertified for having failed to fulfill basic norms set by the University Grants Commission (UGC).

 The government, however, said the deemed universities, which are under the scanner, have been directed to affiliate themselves to state universities so that the students’ career prospects are not adversely affected.

If the targeted universities fail to comply to the standards set by the UGC or do not affiliate themselves to state universities, the Centre’s decision will likely cause an upheaval in Karnataka’s higher education system as the academic and professional futures of thousands of students will be hit hard.

Appearing before a bench of Chief Justice of India K G Balakrishnan, Subramanium declared that the Human Resource Development Ministry decided derecognising 44 of 126 deemed universities across the country after a review committee went into the matter and submitted a report to the government in November last year.

Forty-four other institutions, which were granted deemed university status, have also been put on notice to upgrade their facilities in accordance with UGC guidelines within three years, failing which they too will be derecognised, the review committee report, which Subramanium quoted before the bench, said.

Y Abdullah Kunhi, chancellor of Yenepoya University, which is one the six “deemed universities” faced with decertification, said: “We have not received any official communication regarding the Supreme Court’s order. We have fulfilled all conditions laid by the UGC and the HRD Ministry for a deemed university.”

M B Patil, MLA and chancellor of BLDE Deemed University, which too is on the Centre’s list of derecognised institutions, told from Bijapur that he was aware of the matter, though he did not have complete knowledge of the contents of the affidavit filed by the HRD Ministry in the Supreme Court.

Patil claimed that the UGC had recently expressed satisfaction with BLDE’s academic performance and infrastructure following an inspection and had also extended recognition for the next five years.

Patil said he has sought legal opinion and, if necessary, he will move the court against the HRD Ministry’s affidavit.

“As many as 44 institutes were neither on past performance nor on their promise for the future have the attributes to retain their status as institutes deemed to be universities,’’ the report, submitted by the government to the bench, said. However, the report pointed out that 38 institutions, which followed the UGC guidelines, would continue to function as deemed universities.

The review committee, inter alia, suggested constitution of a task force to prepare an action plan to implement its recommendations, the report, submitted by HRD Ministry director Upamanyu Basu, said.