Eng colleges to lose affiliation for not following directives of student grievance redressal panel

Engineering colleges and other technical institutions, which fail to comply with recommendations of the Student Grievance Redressal Committee (SGRC), may be penalised with withdrawal of approval and affiliation besides withholding of grants, according to draft of new regulations of the All India Council of Technical Education (AICTE).

The technical education regulator has prepared a draft of "All lndia Council for Technical Education (Redressal of Grievance of Students) Regulations, 2O19" aimed at addressing and effectively resolving grievances of students related to AICTE-approved technical institutions.

Public feedback and suggestions from various stakeholders have been sought on the draft before August 20.

"In respect of any technical institution which wilfully contravenes or repeatedly fails to comply with the recommendation of the Ombudsperson or the Student Grievance Redressal Committee, the council will take action including withdrawal of approval granted to the institution; withdrawal of declaration of fitness or entitlement to receive grants or financial assistance from the Council and withholding any grant allocated to the institution," the draft read.

Declaring the institution ineligible for consideration for any assistance under any of the general or special assistance programs of the Council; informing the general public, including potential candidates for admission, through a notice displayed prominently in suitable media and posted on the website of Council declaring that the institution does not possess minimum standards for redressal of grievances and recommending to the affiliating university for withdrawal of affiliation, are among actions that have been prescribed by AICTE in new norms.

As per norms, every AICTE approved institution is supposed to constitute Student Grievance Redressal Committee (SGRC) and any complaint from an aggrieved student relating to the institution shall be addressed to the panel which will be required to send its report with recommendations within 15 days.

Institutions have been asked to prominently furnish, on its website and in its prospectus, all relevant information in respect of SGRC coming in its purview, and the Ombudsperson for the purpose of appeals.