The University Grants Commission (UGC) has created new criteria to encourage more autonomous higher education institutions, which is what the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 aims to achieve. Colleges may immediately apply for autonomous status at any time of the year under the UGC (Conferment of Autonomous Status Upon Colleges and Measures for Maintenance of Standards in Autonomous Colleges) Regulations, 2022. When the proposed rules are adopted, they will take the place of the 2018 rules.
Colleges will be permitted to create their own admission policies, syllabi, and course structures thanks to the autonomous status. Independent colleges are allowed to begin certificate or diploma programs without the parent university’s prior consent. Based on the institutions’ accreditation and assessment results, autonomy will be granted.
With the help of the new rules, the process of granting autonomy will be simpler and won’t require site inspections from a UGC expert group. Instead, the UGC’s standing committee will review the college’s application. The college’s application must be processed by the affiliated institution, and recommendations must be sent to the UGC site within 30 days of processing. A new provision that permits a merger between an autonomous college and another autonomous college operated by the same parent body has been added.
UGC allows permanent autonomy
Colleges now have the ability to become autonomous thanks to the new legislation permanently. The draught guideline states, “Autonomous college will be considered as autonomous college on a permanent basis if it has operated as an autonomous college for fifteen years consistently.” Currently, colleges are a part of an “affiliating system” where parent universities create the curricula, oversee exams, and confer degrees while college-based instruction takes place. The UGC finalised rules in September with the goal of putting affiliated colleges on the “road of progressive autonomy” that will eventually lead to a university and a degree-granting institution.
However, a college must continue to receive the necessary ratings from the National Assessment and Accreditation Council (NAAC) and the National Board of Accreditation in order to keep its autonomous status. For at least three programmes with a minimum score of 675, technical colleges will need NBA accreditation. According to the current regulations, autonomous status is only granted for 10 years, with a college receiving a five-year extension. In order to bring existing regulations into line with NEP 2020 guidelines, the commission evaluated them, according to UGC Chairman M. Jagadesh Kumar. At its most recent meeting on September 22, the UGC adopted the proposed regulations.
Free to start UG, PG and PhD programmes
Autonomous colleges will have the freedom to launch new certificate programmes and diploma programmes without the consent of the affiliating university with the approval of statutory agencies. With the consent of the academic council, it may also offer PhD programmes in addition to degree programmes at the undergraduate and graduate levels. The UGC has recommended an internal quality assurance cell, or “IQAC,” in the institution with an external peer committee of academics to oversee autonomous colleges. A peer-reviewed, public report on college performance will be released once a year.
According to Kumar, “These regulations give autonomy to the autonomous colleges to determine and prescribe their own courses of study and syllabi, and restructure and redesign the courses to suit local needs, make it skill-oriented, and in accordance with the job requirements.” Additionally, “the autonomous college may prescribe their own admission rules; evolve methods of assessment, the conduct of examinations, and notification of result; promote research in relevant fields, etc.,” he continued. We’ll make this regulation official once we’ve heard from the relevant parties.
