VCs nixed govt’s move

VCs nixed govt’s move
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Highlights

VCs nixed govt’s move. The state government has backed out from its decision to intervene and handle the affiliations and fresh intake in the state-run universities and decided to adhere to UGC’s decree for the year 2014-15.

UGC’s ban to continue for this year

APSCHE issues schedule for extension of affiliations
Process shall complete before EAMCET counselling
VCs fear UGC may stop grants
Hyderabad: The state government has backed out from its decision to intervene and handle the affiliations and fresh intake in the state-run universities and decided to adhere to UGC’s decree for the year 2014-15. A meeting of all Vice-chancellors of universities having engineering colleges as affiliated institutions was conducted under the aegis of AP State Council of Higher Education (APSCHE) was held on Friday and decided that universities will deal with all the matters relating to affiliations for the year 2014-15.
Recently, the University Grants Commission (UGC) imposed a moratorium on issuance of permissions to new engineering, MCA or MBA colleges as well as increase in intake in those colleges. It however, advised the varsities to handle other issues such as extension of affiliation etc.
The UGC, which has taken over the responsibilities of AICTE after the Supreme Court’s ruling against the central body, has also stated in its guidelines that the universities will now handle all matters with regard to affiliations and fresh intake.
The APSCHE wanted to intrude into the responsibility of universities citing GO 20. But the Vice-Chancellors nixed the move stating any usurping of powers of UGC would land the APSCHE (the government) in legal tangle. Instead of taking over the powers from the universities at this hour of bifurcation and inviting legal problems, it is better to follow the UGC guidelines for this year, they suggested.
Accordingly, the APSCHE withdrew its decision and issued time frame to settle the issues of affiliations before the commencement of EAMCET counselling. They varsities will have to issue schedule for extension of affiliation for 2014-15 by April 15. This also includes change of site, closure of college, conversion of women’s college into co-ed college, extension of affiliation to existing college, closure of programmes etc.
The universities shall obtain permission from the college by April 30, conduct inspections and send the report to Commissioner of Technical Education by May 30. The Commissioner shall have to write to the government for issue of GO in the first week of June and after getting the approval from the government, the Commissioner has to forward the same to the APSCHE for placing the colleges in the list of institutions for EAMCET counselling.
“Since, there is shortage of time, government will not intervene now. The government will evolve a policy for new colleges and extension of affiliations for existing colleges for the academic year 2015-16,” Prof. L Venugopala Reddy, Chairman, APSCHE told The Hans India.
“We convened this meeting essentially to speed up the matters,” he added.
It was apparent that the Vice-Chancellors voted for UGC’s norm fearing that any opposition to the central agency may end up in blocking of grants.
The UGC clearly stated that “If any varsity do not adhere to the regulations, the commission will take action as it may deem fit i.e withholding the grants, delisting the varsity under Section 12-B or 2-F.”
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