BHUBANESWAR: A day after easing norms for setting up of private schools at primary and upper primary level, the Odisha government has relaxed key norms relating to infrastructure, faculty resources and pledge money for establishment of self-financing degree and professional colleges in the state, with immediate effect.
As per the order issued by the Higher Education department to all regional directors of education, no separate minimum infrastructure and faculty requirements will now be insisted upon by the state government for setting up self-financing degree and professional colleges.
However, institutions will require to strictly comply with the norms and standards prescribed by their respective statutory and regulatory bodies, including the University Grants Commission (UGC), All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE), National Medical Commission (NMC) and Indian Nursing Council (INC), as applicable.
DHE additional secretary Dharanidhar Nanda said the decision has been taken to promote ease of establishment of higher educational institutions in the state and align the state’s policy framework with the Centre’s Deregulation 2.0 initiative in the higher education sector. He said the department has also revised the pledge money requirement.
Educational trusts establishing unaided, self-financing and professional colleges will now be required to deposit only Rs 5 lakh as pledge money, while the amount has been fixed at Rs 1 lakh for non-government aided and block grant colleges. Sources said earlier, educational trusts were required to furnish Rs 15 lakh as pledge money for setting up such institutions.
The order stated that all other conditions contained in previous government instructions, which are not inconsistent with the revised provisions, will continue to remain in force. The department has asked all the regional directors of education to ensure its implementation at the earliest.
On Friday, the School and Mass Education department had also issued revised guidelines abolishing the mandatory requirement for an Essentiality Certificate that reportedly caused procedural delays in granting permission to establish private elementary schools in the state.
