Samikhsya Bureau
Commercialisation of educational institutions in India are no more a secret. They are often described as ‘money making’ bodies than centers of learning. Even many of them who masquerade as universities or deemed to be universities to double their USP escape the radar of the University Grants Commission UGC which has recently sprang into action detecting over two dozen self-styled universities deemed to be ‘fake’ by the UGC.
Odisha which has emerged as one of the hottest hubs for educational institutions harbors two universities now attract stern action against them by the UGC.
But the irony is such sudden vigilantism by the UGC somehow get paled by time as such institutions by virtue of their political influence and money push the matters to the back-burners and carry on with their business as usual.
UGC has initiated stern action against fake universities and lodged First Information Reports (FIRs) against the New Delhi-based Indian Institute of Planning and Management (IIPM) and Bio-Chemic Education Grant Commission at Nadia, West Bengal in their respective police stations. However, the action against the two institutes which were operating in violation of UGC norms, appears to be merely the tip of the iceberg with as many as 24 more being detected with fake claims of university status.
The UGC has the responsibility of maintaining standards in higher education in the country. According to Minister of State for Human Resource Development (HRD) Satya Pal Singh, ‘Show cause notices have been issued to fake universities running Undergraduate and Postgraduate degree courses and giving misleading advertisements’ to fool the public.
The action follows the concern expressed by both the Centre as well as UGC that fake universities have been quietly proliferating and running without recognition. Besides threatening them with severe action under the provisions of the UGC Act and the Indian Penal Code,
Singh in a written reply in the Rajya Sabha said that letters had been sent to the state/ UT principal Secretaries/education secretaries for taking appropriate action against the fake universities located in their jurisdiction. UGC has published a list of fake universities on its website — www.ugc.ac.in. As many as eight of the 24
institutes identified as fake universities were located in Uttar Pradesh, seven right under UGC’s nose in the national capital, followed by two each in West Bengal and Odisha and one each in Bihar, Karnataka, Kerala, Maharashtra and Puducherry, according to a list posted on the UGC website on April 2018.
While at the start of every academic session, UGC issues press release and public notice regarding state-wise list of fake universities in the country in national dailies and newspapers in Hindi and English to warn aspiring students not to take admission in the courses run by the self-styled, unauthorised fake universities, there are many duped by these institutes
Under the University Grants Commission Act, 1956, only a university established by a Central, State/Provincial Act or an institution deemed to be university under section 3 or an institution specially empowered by an Act of Parliament to confer UGC specified degrees under section 22(3) of the Act.
Students have been advised to check about the reputation of the university before seeking enrollment.
(With agency inputs)
