UGC to amend Act to empower colleges to grant degrees

The status of autonomy is granted initially by the UGC to a selected college for a period of six years

The University Grants Commission (UGC) has set up an expert committee to examine a proposal to amend the UGC Act, to empower colleges to grant a degree.

UGC has laid down detailed guidelines for autonomous colleges, to ensure the proper management of academic, financial and general administrative affairs of these colleges.

“If an autonomous college fails to maintain standards, the UGC and the affiliating university can direct the connected college to maintain standards or even consider revoking the autonomous status of that college,” said Minister of State for Human Resource Development Shashi Tharoor, in a written reply to a question in the Rajya Sabha.

The status of autonomy is granted initially by the UGC to a selected college for six years.

Each autonomous college, with the approval of its academic council, formulates an appropriate mechanism to self-evaluate its academic performance, improvement of standards, and assess the extent and degree of success in the utilisation of autonomy. Self-evaluation is done annually.

In addition, a UGC Expert Committee reviews an autonomous college between its fifth and sixth year of autonomy. Any autonomous college, which has undergone three successive reviews with no adverse comments by expert committees after being granted autonomy, can function independently and there will be no further reviews by the UGC visiting committees. However, having a UGC nominee on the governing board of such councils is a mandatory requirement.

The affiliating university may also send its review committee which may include a state government nominee, to review the working of autonomous colleges at least once during the tenure of its autonomy.