Deemed universities to implead themselves in apex court case
January 21st, 2010 - 12:44 pm ICT by IANS ( 8 comments )Chennai, Jan 21 (IANS) Deemed universities, whose derecognition is sought by the central government, have decided to get together to float two lobby bodies and implead themselves in the case being heard by the Supreme Court.
According to Ishari K Ganesh, chancellor of Vels University here, two associations - one representing the interests of deemed universities in the state and the other a larger body to represent the interests of deemed universities in south India - will be formed and will implead themselves in the Supreme Court case.
The management of the ‘doomed’ universities in a meeting have called for the review of the Tandon Committee report based on which the central government has recommended withdrawal of deemed university status given by the University Grants Commission (UGC).
M.K. Padmanabhan, vice chancellor of Dr. MGR Educational and Research Institute, said the centre constituted two panels - the UGC committee and the Tandon Committee - to look into the functioning of the universities.
He said the UGC panel consisting of educational experts visited the campuses, while the Tandon panel just saw the power point presentations shown by the universities.
The UGC has accorded deemed university status to Sri Balaji Vidyapeeth and has given it five years time to establish itself.
In Tamil Nadu a sizeable number of deemed universities are run by politicians and their relatives and higher education has become a lucrative business in the state that turns out more than 100,000 engineers every year.
Though many of the deemed universities charge high fees, they lack the necessary infrastructure and are run like family businesses. Students are subjected to a strict regime. For example, girls and boys studying in the same college are not allowed to talk to each other within the premises.
The violent protests are seen as a result of the pent-up anger of the students who are not treated properly and subjected to a strict regime.
On Wednesday, the Salem-based Vinayaka Missions University and the Thanjavur-based Ponnaiyah Ramajayam Institute of Science and Technology University declared closure after violence broke out in their campuses and spilled into the streets.
The central government Monday told the Supreme Court that it was all set to divest 44 universities of their special “deemed university” status as they were being run as “family fiefdoms” rather than institutions of academic excellence.
Appearing for the central government, Solicitor General Gopal Subramanium made this submission to a bench of Justice Dalveer Bhandari and Justice Mukundkam Sharma during the hearing of a 2006 lawsuit, questioning the misuse of the deemed university status by a glut of educational shops.
Subramanium also told the bench that the government, however, has decided to let these universities revert back to become affiliated colleges of their original universities.
This is to avoid jeopardising the career of nearly 200,000 students studying in these institutions across 13 states, he told the court.
In an affidavit filed in the court, the union human resource development ministry said the government has also accepted the recommendations made by the high-powered P.N. Tandon committee, formed to probe the conditions of the deemed universities across the country.
“The Review Committee came across several aberrations in the functioning of some of the institutions deemed to be universities. It found undesirable management architecture where families rather than professional academics controlled the functioning of institutions,” the affidavit said.
According to the affidavit, most of the 44 deemed universities, failing to maintain their high standard of academic excellence, were offering post-graduate and undergraduate courses that are “fragmented with concocted nomenclatures” and seats “disproportionately increased” beyond the actual intake capacity.
The bench, during an earlier hearing in July last year had questioned the need for having deemed universities in the country in the wake of their mushrooming growth amid complaints that instead of imparting quality education, they have been fleecing students by commercialising it.
“Why deemed university at all? Don’t you think the status of deemed university should be abolished in all the states?” the bench had asked, while directing the centre to file a detailed affidavit on the deemed universities and their conditions in the country.
The bench adjourned the matter after a brief perusal of the affidavit.
- Tamil Nadu to await apex court verdict over deemed varsities - Jan 19, 2010
- Deemed universities question probe panel's power - Aug 03, 2010
- UGC claims its advice must before government action against varsity - Aug 11, 2010
- Centre tells Supreme Court: It has powers to de-recognise deemed universities - Aug 03, 2010
- Government to divest 44 universities of deemed status - Jan 18, 2010
- Apex court stops any action against 44 deemed universities (Second Lead) - Jan 25, 2010
- Centre to re-examine order to derecognise 44 deemed universities - Jan 11, 2011
- Deemed varsities question government power to derecognise - Mar 08, 2010
- Panel gets time to study 44 deemed universities' replies - Apr 12, 2011
- 44 deemed universities facing closure get apex court breather (Lead) - Jan 11, 2011
- Apex court questions states over deemed varsities (Lead) - Dec 14, 2010
- Government gives apex court roadmap on deemed university issue - Feb 25, 2010
- Unrest spreads in Tamil Nadu deemed universities - Jan 20, 2010
- No institution has lost deemed status, says Sibal - Jan 19, 2010
- Deemed universities will go, students won't suffer: Sibal (Roundup) - Jan 19, 2010
Tags: apex court, balaji, educational experts, family businesses, girls and boys, lucrative business, necessary infrastructure, padmanabhan, pent up anger, power point presentations, sizeable number, south india, strict regime, supreme court case, tamil nadu, ugc, university grants commission, vels, vice chancellor, violent protests
January 21st, 2010 at 3:33 pm
The deemed universities concept itself is a big joke.It was conceived by late Dr Rajendra Prasad to give status to coveted national importance institutes of excellence.This was flagrantly abused since year 2000 onwards by NDA and then congress.South Indian states have been more dynamic and enterprising to snatch several deemed recognitions.
In fact majority of them can be called SHOPPS for selling so called university degrees.The main motive behind this status is to get freedom to charge heavy fees and have as many courses and seats as they can fill.Junk is being produced in the country. While deemed universities have to go, the Government and State promoted private universities are no better.But deemed universities gives central status to these institutions and it ha sot be used in very limited cases befitting such recognition.In fact general reforms are required to also tone up whole university system.It does not mean these universities should be continued.We do hope Supreme Court judges will see all these angles in public interest and understand real motive of profiteering behind deemed universities and be out of clutches of any kind.We as social action voluntary group oppose such recognitions in larger public interest and in interest of quality-education.net these institutes return to affiliated system till such time a proper framework is developed in country for reforms.Fees should be checked in country.These are too much high.All those employees of government universities and institutes who are on leave and working in private sector should be dismissed and kicked out from these institutes.In fact private sector has been seized by these outdated and third rate academics and is like extension of opportunities for them to earn.The situation is pitiable.There is no controls since UGC and AICTE etc are also managed by same guys.
January 22nd, 2010 at 1:12 am
Deemed Universities offer better infrastructure and opportunities for students when compared to Government Universities. Most Government run universities (excluding IIMs, IIT and RECs) of India are highly corrupt and have inadequate and outdated equipments, facilities and curriculum. One only needs to vist ther class rooms, Campus grounds and laboratories to realise most government universities are badly in need of a major upgrade as they seem to be stuck somewhere in the mid 1980s!!!
It will be in the interests of the India and all her people to allow the Deemed Universities continue functioning but they can be better regulated through a centralised national standardisation body. It would be interesting to watch and see how many government universities would be found unfit if they were put through even a superficial scrutiny!
January 22nd, 2010 at 9:51 am
The better infrastructure fac ilities are impressive buildings only.Nothing much beyond that.It is part of marketing strategies to hook students as also to dump excess money with owners.
January 22nd, 2010 at 6:25 pm
Let us not jump on the bandwagon and start complaining about the deemed universities, we all know how the government interferes in all aspects but they all don’t end up being good. The government is there to regulate and monitor rather than run or sell stuff. the problem yet again is corrupt politicians and administrators. its not the problem with the policy or deemed universities guidelines. it how they become useless due to corruption. how people are allowed to bend and break rules, be did deemed universities or c contract to build a drainage. its all down to only one aspect corruption. so there is no point accusing people we need to identify people who are involved and deal with them appropriately. in tamilnadu for example the government sells liquor!! is it the job of the government to do it?? they also wanted a government cable tv?? is it the job of the government?? to make money and do everything?? no the governments job is guide, monitor and control not to do business..
January 30th, 2010 at 11:33 pm
The decision to abolish the deemed university concept is correct. The clause in the UGC 1956 act enabling the MHRD to grant deemed university status to am institution upon recommendation of the UGC has been grossly misused by unscrupulous and corrupted UGC,MHRD officials and corrupted and greedy politicians and business men. At the same time it must also be said that we have privately funded deemed universities like BITS, Pilani which is comparable to the IITs. When the government makes legislation abolishing the deemed university system, care should be taken to protect good institutions like BITS, IISc and some others. Indeed founding of such excellent institutions should be encouraged by giving adequate tax exemptions to the founders.
The Government should also institute CBI inquiries against all UGC,MHRD and AICTE officials and members of the visiting teams who recommended granting the deemed university status to the 44 deemed universities proposed to be derecognized to examine how much assets they have beyond their known source of earnings. At the same time Income tax should raid the houses of the owners to unearth black money. Involkfihq@airtelbroadband.invement of corrupt government officials and police men should also be investigated.
Harsh punishments should be given to the corrupted officials of UGC, MHRD and AICTE.
Those deemed universities which are allowed to continue for the time being should be asked to immediately remove their family members from positions like Chancellor, ProChancellor unless they deserve such posts academically.
Many owners of private colleges require their teachers to submit their certificates and some time pass ports. This insulting practice must be legally banned.
February 2nd, 2010 at 4:49 pm
the government should ban all blacklisted universities and allow students of the unrecognied universities to study under distant mode of government universities so that studnets can continue their study .The government should take a fast step to provide high quality education to all.
February 27th, 2010 at 1:01 am
National Confusion on Higher Education and Research thought it appropriate to throw the deemed univs to dogs speaks of the utter confusion in the higher education scenario.
Different Benchmarks for the World Univ, Central Univ, State Univ, Deeemed Univ and Open Univs has left the education state as chaotic.
IIT Roorkee accepts students from the Corresponding Instt like Rajasthan Vidyapeeth to award Ph.Ds M.Tech etc.
There is no place to sleep in IIT Jodhpur and the infrastructure in Instt is a municipals paradise and nightmare.
There are strikes in IITs / NITs
IITs get 5000 crores and still no one decides to serve the country
APJ is not from IIT nor was Kalpana or Sunita. What matters are the tutes, tutelage and the tutors.
Yes the fiefdom must go but then scrapping them after giving them the go ahead signal speaks of the callous attitude of the Kapil and his colleague Arjun who permitted the mushrooming.
For that matter how many of the UGC thought it fit to speak to the Deans, students and research scholars in private.
And to think that IIT Pass out will take to academics is an illusion
Having stated thus the owners shud now vacate the premises of the Univs if they are not teaching.
Analysis reveal that 60 % are builders and politician nexus.
It is high time industry people shud be allowed to be enroled as Prof based on their experience that the academicians consider them as outcastes.
April 20th, 2010 at 3:37 pm
who must be held responsible for the deliberate misinformation given in the MHRD questionnaire? The mandatory webpages carrying the UGC complaince report doles out the faculties who have resigned or yet to join? People holding the office of VC or Registrar must be fair, honest and accountable for their statements/claim