AUTONOMY ISSUE NEEDS TO BE REVIEWED AFRESH

The idea of autonomous colleges was mooted more than 30 years ago, when the education policy of 1986 was implemented. Now there is a need for fresh guidelines, say experts. “Only about 10% colleges have been granted autonomy in the last three decades. The government and UGC have also not enforced the policy, which is why none of the colleges of Delhi have been granted autonomous status. The present guidelines have, therefore, outlived their utility,” says MM Ansari, former member, UGC.

The Rashtriya Uchchatar Shiksha Abhiyan (RUSA) scheme lays strong emphasis on autonomous colleges and to reduce the role of the affiliation system.

During the 12th Plan period (2012-2017), 80 new universities were to be created by converting autonomous colleges in a cluster to state universities. Institutes getting university status are to get funding of up to `55 crore each as per RUSA.

Newer guidelines will work well for universities such as those with more than 800 affiliated colleges, which are bogged down by routine administrative tasks and do not get enough room for research and innovation. This could be done by upgrading the autonomous colleges with ‘A’ NAAC accreditation (46 out of 441 colleges were ‘A’ grade), granting them the status of deemed university, state university or just giving them degreegranting powers by amending the UGC Act. About 45 autonomous colleges are to be converted to universities by the end of the 12th Plan.

“According to Section 2(f) and 12(b) of the UGC Act, any affiliated college can be granted academic autonomy. It was started in the 80s but could not get momentum except in Tamil Nadu, Odisha and Andhra Pradesh. The concept of an autonomous college needs to be reinvented with funding support.