HRD Ministry says in HC that AICTE cant act on standards

Chennai, Mar 15 (UNI) Union Ministry of Human Resource Development (HRD) today filed a counter in Madras High Court that the All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE) or other relevant Statutory Councils could inspect universities including deemed universities to ensure maintenance of standards, but could not take action on their own. They had to bring it to the notice of the UGC or other authorities if there were any lapses in carrying out AICTE directions.

The Ministry's Deputy Educational Adviser Dr Dinesh Kumar Paliwal filed the counter, asking the court to dismiss petitions filed by the deemed universities, challenging Section 10 (o) and 11 of the AICTE Act relating to prescribing guidelines for admission and inspection.

Dr Paliwal said AICTE prescribed standards of technical education as per provisions of the AICTE act. Institutions of higher education including universities and deemed universities should maintain, prescribed standards. The AICTE should give proper notice for inspection and include a UGC representative and faculty member of the university/deemed university to be inspected, in the Expert Team.

The Team's report should be shared with the university/deemed university and UGC, which, if warranted, might issue necessary directions to universities. They had to comply with UGC's directions.

Failure to which might attract appropriate action by the UGC/Ministry of Human Resource Development, he added.

He said AICTE might give its advice to the UGC for declaration of an institution as Deemed to be University. But it was for UGC to consider AICTE's inputs along with other inputs while making a recommendation to the Centre under Section 3 of the UGC Act. Deemed to be university status was granted on UGC recommendation, which consulted AICTE or other relevant Statutory Councils, to ascertain that the institution was maintaining standards of education prescribed. After such status was granted, the institutions were responsible for maintaining them.

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