NEW DELHI: The Delhi government is likely to bring an ordinance to facilitate the establishment of private universities in the capital, an official said, days after the Cabinet approved a draft bill to create a legal framework for setting them up.
The proposed legislation was expected to be introduced in the Assembly during the Monsoon Session but could not be tabled due to legal and technical issues, the official said.
“The government will now bring the provision through an ordinance,” he said, adding that other provisions would subsequently be incorporated into the legislation.
The Delhi Cabinet had on Friday approved the draft bill relating to the establishment and incorporation of private universities. The proposed law seeks to provide students with more higher education options and promote research, innovation, entrepreneurship and academic collaborations.
Under the proposed framework, 25% of seats in every programme would be reserved for Delhi students in accordance with the applicable reservation policy.
The bill also proposes the establishment of a Delhi Private Universities Regulatory Authority to oversee teaching standards, research, institutional governance, admissions, examinations, student records and overall performance of private universities, the official said.
A committee comprising senior government officials, academicians, representatives of the University Grants Commission (UGC) and financial experts would examine proposals for setting up private universities before approval, he said.
According to him, the proposed universities would be self-financed and would not receive regular financial grants from the Delhi government, though they would be eligible for research projects and funding as per applicable rules.
The framework also proposes allowing modern, multi-storey urban campuses in view of Delhi’s limited land availability instead of requiring traditional large, land-based campuses, he said.
‘Boost to Delhi’s higher education ecosystem’
Officials said the move is aimed at strengthening Delhi’s higher education ecosystem and reducing the need for students to move to neighbouring states or abroad for quality higher education promoting research, innovation, entrepreneurship and academic collaborations.