Regulating private universities

Barring a few, most private universities do not have their permanent campuses

Since the early 1990s private universities of the country are in operation, but they could not be as yet made to follow the rules of the relevant private university act. This is due to giving permission to persons, one after another, who are not fit to found such universities in the first place. Private universities now number about 95—more universities are now in the pipeline—and the education ministry as well as the University Grants Commission (UGC) are now grappling with problem the government has created for itself.

Barring a few, most private universities do not have their permanent campuses, and despite giving timeline again and again to these universities to shift to permanent venues from their present place at busy commercial centres in the capital, they have failed to do that. Apart from this campus problem, most universities also lack in necessary vital teaching staff according to law.

There is also a widespread complaint that teachers in many universities examine the exam papers of the would-be graduates rather leniently and give credits that these students in fact do not deserve.

All these have made regulating the private universities a monumental problem for the education ministry. The government could not close these universities on the ground that it would harm greatly the students who are already enrolled and are at various phases of their academic courses. And many university authorities are exploiting this weakness and are blatantly flouting the provisions of the extant private university act.

Moreover, there are founders of universities who are political people and know for sure that the government would not be able to move against them. Against this scenario when the education minister recently warned that there was no way other than taking legal actions against the non-compliant private universities, his words sounded rather hollow. We previously heard similar pronouncements.

But we want to believe that this time the minister meant what he said and would take such steps that would force the owners of the relevant universities to meet the vital requirements and preserve the interests of the students who pay very highly for their academic courses.

Moreover, it is very important now to give a full stop to giving permission to private universities until the present non-compliant universities are effectively regulated or giving permission to only those people who have fulfilled the vital requirements of founding a university according to law. It is expected that the government itself would not turn education as a crass commodity for their own wrong policies and steps.     

 

Regulating private universities

Barring a few, most private universities do not have their permanent campuses

Since the early 1990s private universities of the country are in operation, but they could not be as yet made to follow the rules of the relevant private university act. This is due to giving permission to persons, one after another, who are not fit to found such universities in the first place. Private universities now number about 95more universities are now in the pipelineand the education ministry as well as the University Grants Commission (UGC) are now grappling with problem the government has created for itself. Barring a few, most private universities do not have their permanent campuses, and despite giving timeline again and again to these universities to shift to permanent venues from their present place at busy commercial centres in the capital, they have failed to do that. Apart from this campus problem, most universities also lack in necessary vital teaching staff according to law. There is also a widespread complaint that teachers in many universities examine the exam papers of the would-be graduates rather leniently and give credits that these students in fact do not deserve. All these have made regulating the private universities a monumental problem for the education ministry. The government could not close these universities on the ground that it would harm greatly the students who are already enrolled and are at various phases of their academic courses. And many university authorities are exploiting this weakness and are blatantly flouting the provisions of the extant private university act. Moreover, there are founders of universities who are political people and know for sure that the government would not be able to move against them. Against this scenario when the education minister recently warned that there was no way other than taking legal actions against the non-compliant private universities, his words sounded rather hollow. We previously heard similar pronouncements. But we want to believe that this time the minister meant what he said and would take such steps that would force the owners of the relevant universities to meet the vital requirements and preserve the interests of the students who pay very highly for their academic courses. Moreover, it is very important now to give a full stop to giving permission to private universities until the present non-compliant universities are effectively regulated or giving permission to only those people who have fulfilled the vital requirements of founding a university according to law. It is expected that the government itself would not turn education as a crass commodity for their own wrong policies and steps.