University Grants Commission (UGC) has been promoting autonomy for decades. But it has been a tough long journey to reach autonomy. One thing is that autonomy is not spread evenly across the country: states like Jharkhand, Manipur, Rajasthan and Goa have the lowest number of autonomy. Autonomous Colleges Tamil Nadu, Maharashtra and Andhra Pradesh have the largest pools.
Second, true academic autonomy is still rare, even though it is a proven fact that academic autonomy has an impact on performance. Higher educationThe aim is to let colleges function without unnecessary interference, letting them do what they are best at: offering courses, changing curriculum, innovating in teaching-learning and conducting assessments smartly. Yet, many are not ready for this.
Multiple issues
Colleges across the country are reluctant or slow to become autonomous for a variety of reasons, from political interference and the reluctance of universities to give up their powers to a lack of ambition and confidence in becoming independent. This is despite the UGC repeatedly prodding states to encourage colleges to embrace independence.
A recent note speaks volumes about what is happening on the ground. It says, “…some universities do not give full autonomy to autonomous colleges in terms of framing of syllabi, starting new courses and developing methods of evaluating performance of students etc. as per the provisions of the regulations. Some universities ask the colleges to sign MoUs/Agreements containing terms and conditions which are against the provisions of the UGC regulations.”
Several principals in Kerala said universities discourage affiliated colleges from becoming autonomous because they “don’t want a high-performing college to go out of their fold”. Because of the limited flexibility, colleges are not allowed to introduce new programmes or make more than 20% changes to existing curriculum. Autonomous institutions are also disproportionately penalised for lapses such as misspelling names in result sheets.
What is worse is that despite following all the instructions, universities often do not grant approval to start new programmes or make the colleges go through a lengthy process that can take years. Many autonomous colleges have now approached the Kerala High Court to obtain approval for new programmes. But even after the High Court approval, the college will have to pay a high fee to get the course approved. For example, Mahatma Gandhi University charges autonomous colleges Rs 57,890 for UG programmes and Rs 1.2 lakh for getting PG programmes approved.
Students receiving
But the real losers in the clash of academic institutions are the students. For instance, an autonomous college in north Kerala launched five new undergraduate programmes in 2022, strictly following the UGC regulations of 2018 and submitting all the required documents to Calicut University. Students enrolled in those programmes have entered their fourth semester. But the university has not yet taken any steps to recognise or affiliate these programmes. Since these programmes are not included in the university database, the college fears that students enrolled in these courses may be denied degree certificates after completing their course.
What is worse is that since the college does not have a university affiliation certificate for the five new programmes, NAAC has now sought an explanation from the college in the matter.
Such examples point to the difficulties inherent in the agreement. Autonomous path For colleges. Given the disconnect between university education and the job market, innovative courses through industry and sectoral linkages are clearly the need of the hour. However, state-run universities are reluctant to reduce their jurisdiction, so the process of reform is likely to be slow.
What interferes with expectations of autonomy?
Discrimination
Though autonomous colleges conduct exams, the degree certificate is awarded by the university. While the results of exams are published and communicated to universities, there is a delay in issuing provisional and original degree certificates to autonomous colleges, which are penalised even for minor mistakes. For instance, if a student’s name is misspelt by a college, the university can impose a fine of up to Rs 6,000, while the mistake is corrected only after much back and forth. Non-autonomous colleges are fined Rs 50 and the mistake is corrected immediately.
Additional work
Autonomous college teachers are expected to attend university evaluation camps. If they do not, they are asked to explain. “Our teachers are also asked to do double duty,” a college in Thrissur district wrote to the UGC, saying they have to evaluate papers for the college and those of university students studying in affiliated colleges that are not autonomous.
Cyclic processes
A proposal for a new course by an autonomous college, which is not offered by the university, must first be presented before the college’s board of studies, which has a university nominee. Then, it is presented before its academic council, which has three university nominees. For final approval, it is presented before the college’s governing body, which has a university nominee and a state government nominee. Yet, when the revised syllabus is sent to the university, there is reluctance to approve it. One reason for this is that there is often no university board of studies that can study the proposal, thus leaving the college in limbo.
additional cost
A university charges a one-time affiliation fee/annual affiliation for existing programmes. But Calicut University charges more for self-financed courses. The fee for self-financed courses started by autonomous colleges is Rs 1.2 lakh, while for government-aided programmes it is Rs 33,090.
