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| Thursday, July 10, 2008
Tamil Nadu Government may regulate private universities
- TANSCHE to forward proposal to Minister
- Deemed varsities to be asked to adhere to State guidelines
Chennai: The State government could soon have more of a role
in the creation and functioning of deemed universities.
On Tuesday, the Tamil Nadu State Council for Higher Education
(TANSCHE) discussed the recommendations of the M. Anandakrishnan
Committee on deemed universities and forwarded them to the Higher
Education Minister for a final decision, according to Council
members.
Going by these recommendations, the State government would write
to the Union Ministry of Human Resource Development, asking
the University Grants Commission to get its views before conferring
deemed university status on any institution within the State.
It would also become mandatory for all such universities to
include a government nominee on their management committees,
said a TANSCHE member.
An expanded role for the State government in the functioning
of these universities would be essential to maintain the fee
structure and ensure social justice in the education system
in the State, he added.
Deemed Universities
Deemed universities come under the authority of the UGC, which
confers the status and regulates their functioning. In February
2004, the Supreme Court ruled that State governments had no
control over deemed universities. TANSCHE has also recommended
that the deemed universities adhere to the guidelines of the
State government when conducting convocations.
The guests and speakers on the dais should be chosen because
of their eminence in their fields in accordance with university
statutes and without personal considerations, it said.
TANSCHE also intends to conduct academic audits of colleges
in the State to improve the quality of education.
“It
would be similar to the NAAC,” said another TANSCHE member.
The NAAC or the National Assessment and Accreditation Council
is an autonomous body established by the UGC to assess and grade
higher education institutions across the country.
A committee headed by T. Balakrishnan, former vice-chancellor
of Periyar University, has recommended that TANSCHE constitute
a team to visit colleges in the State to conduct comprehensive
quality checks and monitoring reports.
It would also explore the methods adopted by successful institutions
to spread awareness of the best practices. This would be the
first state-level audit effort, said a TANSCHE member.
Courtesy: The Hindu
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