Only 3 Institutions Get Pvt Varsity Tag
As many as 17 private educational institutions, which had been eager to get the tag of private university, have yet to obtain final clearance from the State Department of Higher Education.
The sticking point appears to be the delay by the institutions in furnishing details about their infrastructure such as land and endowment funds, which the Department had asked for.
According to the Department, out of 20 institutions that had applied for recognition as private universities, only three have got this status though the Governor had cleared their respective private university bills a year ago.
“We have communicated to all 20 institutions and directed them to submit necessary details and documents,” said an official source from the department.
The department itself was surprised to receive replies from only three institutions. “The institutions, which were in a hurry to get the private university tag, have become silent when we asked for documents,” a official added.
Only PES Institute, Reva Institute and CMR Institute have been accorded private university status after they submitted the necessary documents.
“The rest have not turned up. But, it does not mean that they will lose the status. As the bill is cleared and the act is framed, the institutions can submit the related documents at any time and get clearance,” a department official said.
‘A Hasty Decision’
However, other department officials said the decision of providing private university tags was a hasty one as some of the institutions had no proper infrastructure to meet the government’s criteria.
The institutions need to submit documents to prove that they have an endowment fund of at least `25 crore, at least 20 acres of land if within city limits and 100 acres on the outskirts.
Institutions Recommended for Varsity Status
Manipal University, Arka University, Dayananda Sagar University, Vellore Technical Institute Bangalore, M S Ramiah Applied Sciences University, Devaraj Urs University, Sharana Basava University, Adichunchanagiri University, Roy Technical University, PES University, Spiritual University by Mata Amritanandamayi Trust, Reva University, KLE Technological University, Vaidehi Institute of Medical Sciences, Garden City College, JSS Institute of Science and Technology, Srinivasa University, CMR Institute
Only 3 have made it, so far: PES University, CMR University and REVA University.
A Controversial Decision
The recommendation of 20 institutions for private university status in one lot was a big controversy and there were allegations that big money had changed hands in the entire process during the fag end of BJP government’s tenure. After taking charge as Higher Education Minister, R V Deshpande announced reinspection of all these 20 institutions, though this has yet to be translated into action.