UGC allows Maharaja Bhupinder Singh Sports varsity to award degrees

The University Grants Commission (UGC) has added Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh's flagship Maharaja Bhupinder Singh Punjab Sports University in Patiala to its list of universities and allowed it to award degrees, the government said on Monday.

With the UGC's approval, the university can now award degrees by conducting courses through its own departments, constituent, and affiliated colleges, in regular mode with the approval of concerned statutory bodies/councils as per the requirements.

The University would not start any off-campus centre beyond the territorial jurisdiction as provided in the Act and would be required to ensure that no programmes are offered through franchising arrangement with private institutions and no study centre is opened through franchises, a press release said quoting a communique by the UGC.

The university cannot start any distance education programme without the UGC's prior approval. The programmes of MPhil and PhD can be conducted as per the provisions.

It may be recalled that Chief Minister Singh had announced to set up the university in the Assembly in June 2017. A steering committee was set up under the chairmanship of Olympian Randhir Singh to finalise the modalities to establish this "sports educational institute of international eminence."

The state Cabinet had in June this year approved the Punjab Sports University Ordinance-2019, paving the way for the establishment of the university.

The university was set up to promote education in the areas of sports sciences, sports technology, sports management, and sports coaching. It will focus on education, training, and research in areas related to sports based on high standard infrastructure, besides offering professional and academic leadership to other institutions in the field of physical education and sports sciences.