After three- year of standstill, the University Grants Commission (UGC) has approved Birla Institute of Technology and Science– BITS’s branches in Goa and Hyderabad. According to a report in the Indian Express, the Human Resources and Development Ministry will issue a notification announcing regularization of BITS’ two off-campus centers next week. The move will clear its path to receive Letter of Intent (LoI) notifying its ‘Institute of Eminence’ (IoE) status from the ministry which was held because of the institute’s standoff with the commission.
It all started from 2015, when the UGC issued a notice to BITS along with Manipal Academy of Higher Education (MAHE) and Reliance Foundation’s proposed Jio Institute under the private institution category for IoE status. MAHE and Jio Institute have issued their LoIs on July 24.
The confrontation between BITS and UGC dates back to November 9, 2015 when the higher education regulator issued notices to 10 deemed universities, including BITS, directing them to shut down their off-campus centers on the ground that they were set up without the UGC’s permission and, hence, violate the UGC (Institutions Deemed to be Universities) Regulations 2016.
BITS-Pilani, subsequently, went to Delhi High Court, which asked the regulator to not take any coercive action. The institute had argued in court that the Goa and Hyderabad centers were established in 2004 and 2008, respectively, and, hence, pre-date the Deemed University Regulations, which are prospective in nature.
Although the off-campus centers in Goa and Hyderabad continued to function, UGC maintained that they were illegal. This had put the HRD Ministry in a bind, which then decided that BITS will be given the LoI once the institute withdraws its court case and formally applies for UGC’s approval of the Goa and Hyderabad off-campus centers.
According to Supreme Court, a deemed university offering technical degrees must take AICTE approval. Suppose a deemed university which did not take AICTE approval is declared as Institution of Eminence and later AICTE states that technical degrees of that Eminent Institution are not recognized, then will not be yet another conflict? MHRD must make it clear if AICTE approval wherever required is one of the criteria for declaring Eminence or not. Its better to foresee consequences and take appropriate action rather than indulge in disaster management.