Draft regulation for tech institutes:Representatives meet Pallam Raju

NEW DELHI: Against the backdrop of UGC coming out with a draft regulation for technical institutes, representatives from over a dozen colleges today met HRD Minister M M Pallam Raju suggesting that they should be allowed to follow the existing evaluation system.

They are also understood to have pressed for extending the deadline to provide feedback to the draft guidelines by about 15 days.

Earlier this month, UGC had announced new draft guidelines to regulate technical institutes comprising engineering and management schools in the country. It had asked education institutions for any feedback to be given by December 9.

Arguing that the time given was not enough for them for giving feedback, the representatives requested Raju to extend it up to December 31, sources said.

The draft UGC guidelines came in wake of a Supreme Court ruling earlier this year questioning the authority of AICTE to regulate technical institutes. It said said that colleges affiliated to a university do not come under the purview of the definition of "technical institution" as defined in AICTE Act, 1987.

It had therefore become imperative for the universities and UGC to evolve a suitable methodology to ensure that existing technical or engineering colleges affiliated to universities do not dilute standards of technical education imparted by them.

Sources said during the interaction with the minister, institution heads requested for evolving a mechanism under which the existing evaluation system of AICTE for approval colleges offering technical programme be followed.

They were of the view that the existing system could be followed as they had little time to frame their views on the draft guidelines.

The Supreme Court ruling has led to an air of confusion over the status of affiliation to technical institutes. At present there are about 55 to 60 technical universities in the country, with dozens of colleges affiliated to them.

A move by HRD ministry to promulgate an ordinance to restore the powers of AICTE was shelved quietly later on over concerns of it being carried through.