New Delhi: The HRD ministry has decided to de-recognize as many as 44 "deemed universities", spelling uncertainty for nearly two lakh students who are enrolled with them. The ministry's decision amounts to an acknowledgement of irregularities in conferring the "deemed" tag to these institutions under the first UPA government in which Arjun Singh was the HRD minister. The 44 "deemed" universities, including one promoted by I&B minister of state S Jagathrakshakan, three government-sponsored ones, and some in the NCR, such as Manav Rachna, Shobit and Santosh, are spread across the country. These deemed universities were found deficient on many grounds -- ranging from lack of infrastructure to lack of evidence of expertise in disciplines they claim to specialize in.
The fate of nearly 2 lakh students across the county hangs in the balance with the Ministry of Human Resource Development (MHRD) announcing de-recognition of 44 deemed universities, which were found to be deficient on many grounds.
Citing the reason that these universities are being run as "family fiefdoms" rather than "institutions of academic excellence", Solicitor General Gopal Subramanium made this submission to a bench of Justice Dalveer Bhandari and Justice Mukundkam Sharma, during the hearing of a 2006 lawsuit, questioning the misuse of the deemed university status by glut of educational shops.
Out of the 44 universities listed for de-recognition, Tamil Nadu alone has 16, followed by Karnataka (6), Uttar Pradesh (4) and Maharashtra, Rajasthan and Haryana (3).
The 44 deemed universities which have been listed for de-recognition include the following:
Andhra Pradesh
Vignan's Foundation for Science, Tech & Research
Bihar
Nava Nalanda Mahavihara
Gujarat
Haryana
Manav Rachna International University
Lingaya's University
Maharishi Markandeshwar University
Karnataka
Sri Siddhartha Academy of Higher Education
Sri Devaraj Urs Academy of Higher Education & Research
Yenepoya University
Jain University
Christ University
Maharashtra
DY Patil Medical College
Krishna Institute of Medical Sciences
Tilak Maharashtra Vidyapeeth
New Delhi
National Museum Institute
Orissa
Siksha 'O' Anusandhan University
Puducherry
Sri Balaji Vidyapeeth
Rajasthan
Janardan Rai Nagar Rajasthan Vidyapeeth
IASE University (Sardarshahr)
Mody Institute of Technology and Science
Tamil Nadu
St. Peter's Institute of Higher Education & Research
Noorul Islam Centre for Higher Education
Chettinad Academy of Research & Education
Meenakshi Academy of Higher Education & Research
Dr. MGR Educational & Research Institute
Saveetha Institute of Medical and Technical Sciences
Kalasalingam Academy of Research and Education
Periyar Maniammai Institute of Science and Technology
Academy of Maritime Education and Training
Vel's Institute of Science, Tech & Advanced Studies
Karpagam Academy of Higher Education
Vinayaka Mission's Research Foundation
Bharath Institute of Higher Education and Research
Ponnaiyah Ramajayam Institute of Science & Technology
Rajiv Gandhi National Institute of Youth Development
Vel Tech Rangarajan Dr. Sakunthala R&D Institute of Science & Technology
Uttar Pradesh
Shobhit Institute of Information Technology
Jaypee Institute of Information Technology
Santosh University
Nehru Gram Bharati University
Uttarakhand
Gurukula Kangri Vishwavidyalaya
Graphic Era University