Lokmat News Network
By Mehboob Inamdar
Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar: Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar Marathwada University is all set for new collaborations with international-level educational institutes after receiving permission from the apex body of higher education of the country.
The University Grants Commission (UGC) received information that many universities and colleges have entered into collaborative agreements with foreign-based educational institutions not recognised by the Commission.
The UGC found that some institutions and EdTech companies are also giving advertisements in newspapers and social media, offering degree and diploma programmes in online modes in collaboration with some foreign universities. They were not taking any permission from the national-level recognising bodies like UGC. The Commission started the approval process for the international collaboration. The UGC has granted permission for the international collaboration recently.
Talking to this newspaper, Pro-Vice Chancellor of Bamu Dr Walmik Sarwade said that the UGC granted permission for new international-level collaborations in higher education.
He said that this would help in exchange for teaching faculty, research ideas and assistance and facilities. “The university has done 80 collaborations with world-level educational institutes, so far,” he said.
Officers from the Higher Education Department said that no student should take admission for the course offered through illegal collaboration with foreign institutes. “Those universities which have a higher NAAC grade are only allowed for the collaboration,” they said.
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Degrees to be de-recognised if permission not taken
The UGC decided to give permission to the institutes for this collaboration. “The Commissioner reiterated that any degrees issued by educational institutes or EdTech through unrecognised collaboration will be de-recognised as per the norms. Students and the general public are once again advised to exercise due caution and are made aware that such unrecognised courses,” it was mentioned in the UGC communication issued for the students.
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List of eligible institutes
There are 225 recognised universities by the UGC for this purpose. Of them, 18 are from the State. The names of some of the universities are as follows;
--Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar Marathwada University
--SNDT Women's University
--University of Mumbai
--Tata Institute of Social Sciences
--Shivaji University
-- Bharati Vidyapeeth
-- Narsee Monjee Institute of Management Studies
-- MGM Institute of Health Sciences (Navi Mumbai)
--Homi Bhabha National Institute Deemed
--Institute of Chemical Technology