100 apply to become 'Institutes of Eminence'

A total of 100 higher learning institutions have applied for their upgradation as 'Institutions of Eminence Deemed to be Universities' - a new category created for this purpose - with the Human Resource Development (HRD) Ministry, an official statement said on Tuesday.

The applications were invited by the ministry in September and the 90 days duration ended on Tuesday.

"Overall 100 applications have been received -- under the public sector, 10 Central Universities, 25 state universities, six Deemed to be Universities, 20 Institutions of National Importance and six 'stand alone' institutions have applied.

"Under private sector, nine private universities and 16 Deemed to be Universities have applied in brownfield category and eight Institutions have applied in greenfield category," said the statement.

The exercise is undertaken for establishing 20 world class institutes - 10 public and 10 private - in the country in next 10 years. The ministry will provide financial assistance of up to Rs 1,000 crore or 50-75 per cent of the "requirement projected in the detailed plans" to each such centre of learning over a period of five years after the selection.

The names will be finalised on the recommendations of an Empowered Expert Committee which is likely to do this by March 2018.

The selected institutes will be, among other things, free to hire and admit foreign faculty and foreign students up to a certain limit, create their curriculum with no obligation to follow UGC's prescribed structure, determine their own fees structure and enjoy flexibility in academic collaborations with foreign universities.

"All lovers of education will welcome this development. This is how World Class Universities were built in various countries. The same thing will happen in India," HRD Minister Prakash Javadekar said, according to the statement.

--IANS

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