BHUBANESWAR : Expressing displeasure over the manner in which self-financing courses on public private partnership (PPP) mode are run by government universities, Governor and Chancellor of Universities Prof Ganeshi Lal has directed the institutions to refrain from launching any such courses from the ensuing academic year 2022-23.
The Governor has raised concern over the indiscriminate opening of self-financing courses on PPP mode by government universities without ensuring adequate infrastructure and faculty as well as proper academic standards.
In a letter to registrars of universities on Tuesday, Principal Secretary to the Chancellor, Saswat Mishra has informed them about the measures that include capping of students strength of all such courses, both direct and PPP mode, at 20 per cent (pc) of the total student strength of all regular courses.
If the current student strength of self-financing courses in any university is more than the above-mentioned ceiling, it has to be be brought down to the prescribed ceiling limit from the 2022-23 academic year by reducing the number of seats or by discontinuing such courses that are not so well-performing, the letter stated. The Chancellor has asked all universities to critically review all the self-financing courses that are currently being run and take a decision of continuance or discontinuance of the courses within June 30, 2022. The courses that will be discontinued will not have any fresh admission from the new academic year and will continue till passing out of the already admitted students.
The letter further said that subject to the ceiling of student strength, new self-financing courses can be started by universities in future as per the need but only in direct mode and not in PPP. Admission of students must be done through an open and merit-based selection process.
Currently, all the universities are running self-financing courses in direct as well as PPP mode where an MoU is signed between a private organisation that is willing to run the course on a 70:30 revenue sharing basis. Under PPP mode, the university only provides infrastructure on its campus while the private party takes care of faculty, examination and other aspects of the course.
Utkal University runs three courses in PPP mode - BSc in nursing (Chandikhole rural campus), PG in Agri-business management in the department of Business Administration and MTech in computer science under the Statistics department. The course fees run into at least `2 lakh per annum. The Chancellor’s letter is, however, not clear on the colleges affiliated to the universities that are running several self-financing courses on PPP mode.
Varsities barred from running self-fin courses
Under PPP mode, the university only provides infrastructure on its campus while the private party takes care of faculty, examination and other aspects of the course. Utkal University runs three courses in PPP mode - BSc in nursing (Chandikhole rural campus), PG in Agri-business management in the department of Business Administration and MTech in computer science under the Statistics department.
The course fees run into at least Rs 2 lakh per annum. The Chancellor’s letter is, however, not clear on the colleges affiliated to the universities that are running several self-financing courses on PPP mode.