UGC asks universities to delete 'racial' clauses from rules

NEW DELHI: Taking note of a regulation issued by Bharathiar University, Coimbatore, recently with alleged overtones of racism, UGC has asked all varsities and institutes across the country to delete such clauses from their regulations which imply racial or other discrimination.

The university regulation seeks to avoid examiners from African countries for adjudication of theses by PhD scholars, which the UGC noted was against the country's foreign policy.

"Such regulation of the university not only violates the norms prescribed by UGC but is also against the foreign policy of the Government," it said in an advisory, asking all universities to delete such clauses.

Clause 19.6(a) of Bharathiar University's regulations reads: "For all PhD theses (except Tamil), the panel of examiners consisting of four foreign examiners, preferably from the scientifically advanced countries, avoiding African countries (exception South Africa)..."

The regulation has come under lot of criticism including from the university's teachers association.