UGC releases new guidelines for tech institutes

According to the recently released UGC guidelines, all the tech institutes in the country, from the next academic year, will be regularized by the universities they are affiliated to, further, implying that any regularization which was earlier done by the AICTE will now be taken care of by the university and the UGC. Thus, now, a technical institute will not need AICTE's permission but that of the affiliating university.

Released on December 3, 2013, the guidelines are meant for all the institutes offering engineering and technology, management, pharmacy, architecture, hotel management and catering technology courses.

Following these guidelines, both the universities and the UGC will have to sort out the right tactic to ensure that the existing tech institutes ,which are affiliated to universities, do not decline the standards of the technical education offered by them.

The guidelines define every aspect of running a technical institution including intake capacity of colleges, setting up of a new institution, adding integrated programme, dual programme etc.

Points to remember:

1. A college offering technical education will be treated as unapproved if it has already started without following approval procedure
2. Colleges in temporary location or at location not approved by the university will be accountable for action.
3. In case of withdrawal of approval to the college, operations of the said college and course will not be started again before completion of two academic years from the date of such a withdrawal.
4. Universities need to maintain a list of unapproved colleges with them and also inform the UGC and general public from time to time as it was done by the AICTE.
5. No college will be allowed to offer any programme without prior approval of the university they are affiliated to
6. Institutes violating any regulations laid down by the UGC will be liable for penal civil action including withdrawal of approval
7. University cannot allow fresh admissions to colleges for one year among other penalties if they find any college taking admissions over the sanctioned intake capacity. The same penalty would also be applicable if the colleges do not have a qualified principal/director.
8. Colleges which do not manage to maintain the faculty-teacher ratio also will be liable for action by the affiliating university.