UGC guidelines for technical Institutes; Impact on PGDM unclear

Seven months after the Supreme Court Verdict, that questioned the authority of the All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE), the University Grants Commission (UGC) has stirred the hornets’ nest by announcing new “draft guidelines” to regulate thousands of technical colleges including engineering and management schools in the country.

This move by UGC has come after the apex court had ruled on April 25, 2013 that colleges affiliated to universities don’t fall under the purview of AICTE. Though the human resource development ministry had initially suggested promulgating an ordinance to restore the powers of AICTE, the move was put on back burner due to the prevailing policy uncertainty.

The UGC draft guideline, published under “notice” section of UGC website on December 3, notes, “It has become imperative for the universities and UGC to evolve a suitable methodology to ensure that existing technical/engineering colleges affiliated to universities do not dilute standards of technical education imparted by them.” MBAUniverse.com has reviewed the copy of this notification. The same is also available on the UGC guideline.

“Regulations shall apply to all colleges offering technical education and seeking approval and/or already approved/affiliated to the Universities in India established or incorporated by or under a Central Act, a Provincial Act or a State Act,” the draft regulation adds.

According to education policy watchers, post the SC Judgment in April, UGC has been contemplating to extend its regulatory domain to ‘technical’ institutions too, which were hereto working with AICTE. In the current policy-limbo, with these new guidelines, while UGC may succeed in doing so, experts suggest that the net impact may not be positive on the future state of Indian technical education. Experts have questioned the capability of UGC to regulate more than 11,000 engineering, management, architecture and pharmacy schools in India that are currently operating.

AICTE had created a relatively robust regulatory process, which was fine-tuned in the last two decades. In the last few years, AICTE, under Dr SS Mantha as its chairman, had also implement e-governance driven regulatory process, which was appreciated by many technical & management institutes, as it brought down arbitrary human interface, and had automated the approval processes. 

Importantly, the impact of the new UGC guidelines on PGDM institutes is not very clear at the time of filing this news report.

Infact, the new UGC guidelines are completely silent on the autonomous B-schools that offer Post Graduate Diploma in Business Management (PGDM). Currently approximately 300 PGDM B-schools run an autonomous management program, which was approved by AICTE. These PGDM programs, offered by reputed B-schools like XLRI, SPJIMR, MDI, IMI, IMT, TAPMI, BIMTECH have flourished in the last two decades, riding on the economic boom of since liberalization that created robust demand for trained managers, and the relative autonomy they enjoyed under AICTE, which allowed them to charge their own fees and administer their own industry-linked curriculum. As a result, along with IIMs, the PGDM institutes account for 80% of the Top tier B-schools that are ranked as Top 100 B-schools by media organizations like Business Today & Outlook. 

The new guidelines suggest that UGC is likely to regulate the 3500+ MBA programs offered by Public Universities and their affiliating colleges.

The SC judgment had virtually ended the AICTE control over the management programs. The 67-pages Supreme Court Judgment on April 25, 2013, a copy of which is with MBAUniverse.com, states, “As per definition of ‘technical education’ under Section 2(g) of the AICTE Act and non production of any material by the AICTE to show that MBA course is a technical education, we hold that MBA course is not a technical course within the definition of the AICTE Act and in so far as reasons assigned for MCA course being ‘technical education’, the same does not hold for MBA course. Therefore, for the reasons assigned while answering the points which are framed in so far as the MCA course is concerned, the approval from the AICTE is not required for obtaining permission and running MBA course by the appellant colleges.

According to the new UGC draft guidelines, all technical colleges will need approval every year by applying to the university they are affiliated to. To regulate unapproved institutions, every university shall maintain a list of unapproved colleges offering programme(s) in technical education based on the information received and verified by the university and shall also inform UGC and the general public about the same from time to time.

UGC has asked “all stakeholders” to give their view by 9 December, following which it will notify the final rules. It may be noted that the guideline were published on UGC website on a few days back – on December 3. This short window of time to seek feedback is impractical and seen by experts as a move by UGC to hasten the process of adopting new guidelines for management and technical institutions.

Leading education sector associations like EPSI and AIMS are contemplating their views on this matter and are likely to come out with their view soon. 

SC extends stay on AICTE notification on PGDM B-schools can use any of 5 tests

SC ruling on AICTE: PGDM institutes wish to remain in AICTE ambit 

AICTE approval is not required for University-approved MBA: SC

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