New Delhi: In a landmark decision, the University Grants Commission (UGC) has granted autonomy to sixty Higher Educational Institutions which have maintained high academic standards. This was announced by the Minister of Human Resource Development, Mr Prakash Javadekar at a media briefing in New Delhi yesterday (20 March 2018).

Sixty Higher Educational Institutions which have been granted autonomy includes 52 Universities i.e. 5 central universities, 21 state universities, 24 deemed universities, and 2 private universities. In addition to these 60 universities, there are 8 colleges which have been granted full autonomy.

The central universities which have been graded as Category I by the UGC Regulations on Graded Autonomy are followed: Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi; Aligarh Muslim University; Banaras Hindu University; University of Hyderabad; English and Foreign Languages University in Telangana.

Some of the state universities in the list are as followed: Jadavpur University, Andhra University, Algappa University, National University of Law, Utkal University, Osmania University, Kurukshetra University, Kurukshetra, Guru Nanak Dev University, Amritsar.

There only two private universities which have been graded are as followed: P. Jindal Global University Sonipat, Haryana; Pandit Deendayal Petroleum University Gandhinagar, Gujarat.

Mr Javadekar said that the Government is striving to introduce a liberalized regime in the education sector and emphasis is on linking autonomy with quality.

The HRD Minister explained that these universities will remain within the ambit of UGC but will have the freedom to start new courses, off campus centers, skill development courses, research parks and any other new academic programs. They will also have the freedom to hire foreign faculty, enroll foreign students, give incentive based emoluments to the faculty, enter into academic collaborations and run open distance learning programmes.

Eight colleges have also been granted autonomy, the HRD Minister said. The eight autonomous collages will be free to set their own syllabus, hold examinations, carry out evaluation as well as declare results. In this case, only the degree will be awarded by the respective university.

The Minister also said that a show cause notice will be given to three deemed universities which are lacking in quality.