The University Grants Commission (UGC) has approved the revised guidelines to grant autonomy to affiliated and constituent colleges with recommendations made in the National Education Policy, 2020.
UGC chairperson Prof M Jagadesh Kumar said the approved draft regulations in this regard will be made public for stakeholder feedback by Tuesday. The proposed changes are primarily designed for making the process of granting autonomy status faster and linking it to NAAC ratings. For instance, currently, proposals seeking autonomy are first examined by expert committees by making site visits. But under the proposed changes, on-site visits will no longer be required.
According to the draft regulations, “A standing committee of the UGC shall examine the application of the college for conferment of autonomous status. The approval/rejection letters may be issued on the basis of the decision of the standing committee. The decisions may be ratified by the committee subsequently.”
The autonomous status, which is at present granted initially for a period of 10 years, will now be automatically extended for another 10 years if the concerned college has grade A certification from the NAAC. Once the amended regulations are approved, colleges which have functioned as autonomous units for 15 years at a stretch will be given the status permanently and will no longer have to apply for extensions as long as they retain high NAAC or NBA ratings.
Prof Kumar said, “These regulations will also provide freedom to the autonomous colleges to determine and prescribe their own courses of study and syllabi, and restructure and redesign the courses to suit local needs, make it skill oriented and in consonance with the job requirements. Further, the autonomous college may prescribe their own admission rules, and evolve methods of assessment.”