Govt proposes to end 'inspector raj' in higher education

Government has hinted at ending the 'inspector raj' of the All India Council of Technical Education (AICTE) and the University Grants Commission (UGC) by hiving off their accreditation arms and merging them into a professionally run independent body.     

The Higher Education Department in the HRD Ministry is considering various models for delinking accreditation to private engineering and technical colleges and universities from the regulators — AICTE and UGC.     

This was indicated by Higher Education Secretary R P Agarwal to a Ficci delegation which called on him last week.     

"We have suggested various options and the government is considering the same," a Ficci official said.     

At present, before a private college or a university is granted accreditation, inspectors from the National Board of Accreditation (NBA)-affiliated to the AICTE and the National Assessment and Accreditation Council (NAAC) visit the campuses and subject them to "rigorous inspection".     

The private colleges and universities have been alleging "malpractices" in inspections and demanding that a systemic change be brought about to end the "menace".     

The industry has suggested that a professional body, which should be born out merger of NAAC and NBA, should lay the overall guidelines, while the inspections should be left to panels of academicians from peer institutions.     

"We need awareness among bureaucrats about the role of private universities and colleges. There is more awareness about the private partnership in the US and Europe, which is lacking here," Founder of Amity University Ashok Chavan said.     

Inspection by the peer institutions is followed in the UK, the chamber official present at the meeting with the Secretary, Higher Education, said.