AICTE issues new norms for technical institutions ›

The applicant shall also not use the word(s) Government, India, Indian, National, All India, All India Council, Commission anywhere in the name of the Technical Institution. AICTE NOTIFICATION

NEWDELHI:ALL technical institutes in the country will now have to publish a complete list of fees, on their websites and will not be permitted to charge students for any other costs, according to new rules notified by the All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE) on Thursday.

Failing to follow these norms will mean that colleges will have to pay a fine — the amount being twice the total fee collected per student.

Not only this, the AICTE can also suspend approval for NRI and supernumerary seats given to any institution for one academic year.

Also, according to the new rules, no institute will be able to name itself a way that the abbreviated form of the name matches the country’s premier institutes — IIM, IIT, IISC, NIT or government bodies such as AICTE, UGC, MHRD, GOI.

The council says this rule was brought in to avoid confusion. “This (naming institutions along similar lines) is often done to mislead the students and they end up taking admission in such institutes,” said a senior AICTE official.

The regulations have been notified in a document called the All India Council for Technical Education (Grant of Approvals for the Technical Institutions) (1st Amendment) Regulations, 2017.

As per the notification, fees charged by these institutions will have to be clearly announced on their website.

No other fees can be collected from the students aside from those that are fixed by the state/ fee regulatory committee.

The norms have also prescribed penalties for violations. For instance, the penalty for charging excess fees will be twice the total fees collected per student. The excess amount collected will also have to be refunded to the student.

Additionally, the sanctioned intake of the institute will also be cut down. The institute can also lose its approval to operate along with its approval for the programme/course.

“The applicant shall also not use the word(s) Government, India, Indian, National, All India, All India Council, Commission anywhere in the name of the Technical Institution and other names as prohibited under the Emblems and Names (Prevention of Improper Use), Act, 1950...” reads the notification issued by the council.

The notification also extends to foreign universities/institutions operating in India by opening their own centres or having entered into partnerships with domestic institutions.

The notification adds that in such cases, the council will inform concerned agencies including the ministry of external affairs, the home ministry and the Reserve Bank of India of their decision and advise them against issuing visas to employees/teachers and to stop repatriation of funding.