The Bill proposing Bangalore University’s bifurcation, passed earlier this year, has been pending the Governor’s approval along with the Karnataka State Universities (Second Amendment) Bill, 2013. The Chancellor, however, had approved the Bills to establish private universities.
Increasingly, the country is appealing to private and international higher education providers to add to national capacity. The market is economically attractive to private higher education providers. But the doors for entry of foreign higher education institutions are still not fully opened. It could be useful to look at all means of partnerships at the government level.
The fee committee chaired by Malai Subramanian has enhanced the fee for MBBS course by five per cent in two self-financing medical colleges under Pondicherry University for a period of three years.
The Medical Council of India, the apex body to regulate medical education in the country, has said the faculty and infrastructure facilities in private medical colleges are not on par with the standards set by the MCI.
The University Grants Commission has cautioned students that no university, whether Central, State, private or deemed can offer its programmes through franchisee arrangement with private coaching institutions even for distance mode courses. The commission in a recent notification advised students not to take admission in unapproved study centres, off campus centres, franchisee institutions, colleges / institutions claiming to be affiliated with private universities or deemed universities.
On the issue of setting up of 20 new private universities, Mr. Deshpande said a three-member official committee has been set up to monitor the availability of infrastructure and quality of education in private universities.