Lok Sabha Question No. 2444 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2019-07-08
Subject: Private and Deemed Universities
Ministry: HUMAN RESOURCE DEVELOPMENT
Asked by: Rajendra Agrawal

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF HUMAN RESOURCE DEVELOPMENT DEPARTMENT OF HIGHER EDUCATION

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 2444 TO BE ANSWERED ON 08.07.2019

## Private and Deemed Universities

## †2444.SHRI	RAJENDRA	AGRAWAL:

Will the Minister of HUMAN RESOURCE DEVELOPMENT be pleased to state : (a) the total number of private and deemed universities in the country and State-wise their ranking on the basis of performance including those from Tamil Nadu; (b)  the  location-wise  details  of  the  universities  which  have  been  recognised  by  the university Grants Commission on the basis of merits and demerits of the universities; (c) whether the Government has stipulated any procedure to ascertain the merits and demerits and performance of the private universities and if so, the details thereof; and (d)  the  steps  being  taken  by  the  Government  for  the  improvement  of  the  level  and

- quality of education being provided by the said Universities?

## ANSWER MINISTER OF HUMAN RESOURCE DEVELOPMENT (SHRI RAMESH POKHRIYAL 'NISHANK')

- (a):  As  of  now,  337  Private  Universities  and  126  Deemed  to  be  Universities  are functioning  in the country.  All  Higher  Educational  Institutions  including  Private Universities  and  Deemed  to  be  Universities  are  ranked  by  National  Institutional Rankings  Framework  (NIRF)  based  on  their  performance  which  includes  'Teaching, Learning and Resources', 'Research and Professional Practices', 'Graduation Outcomes', 'Outreach and Inclusivity', and 'Perception'. State/UT-wise list of all Private Universities and Deemed to be Universities that participated and ranked in NIRF-2019 in various categories is available on NIRF's website www.nirfindia.org. (b):  The  location-wise  details  of  University  Grants  Commission  (UGC)  recognized Universities are available on UGC's website www.ugc.ac.in. (c):  Private  Universities  are  regulated  by  the  UGC  as  per  the  provisions  of  the  UGC (Establishment of and Maintenance of  Standards in Private  Universities) Regulations, 2003.   In order  to  ascertain  the  quality  and  performance  of  Private  Universities,  UGC conducts inspection of every Private University with the help of its Expert Committees
- consisting  of  a  representative(s)  from  the  Statutory  Council(s)  concerned.  These

Committees assess the fulfillment of minimum criteria in terms of programmes, faculty, infrastructural facilities, financial viability, etc. as laid down by the UGC and respective Statutory Councils.  In case any deficiencies are pointed out, the Private Universities are asked to  submit  compliance  report  in  respect  of  the  observations/suggestions  of  the Expert Committees.

- (d):  UGC  issued  a  Quality  Mandate  for  all  Higher  Educational  Institutions  (HEIs) including  Private  Universities  to  improve  the  standard  and  quality  of  education.  The UGC issued the following 10 initiatives for all HEIs to achieve the above objectives:
- i. Induction programme for students.
- ii. Learning  outcome-based  curriculum  framework  -  revision  of  curriculum  in regular intervals.
- iii. Use ICT based learning tools for effective teaching-learning process.
- iv. Soft skills for students.
- v. Social and Industry connect for every Institution: Every Institution shall adopt at least 5 villages for exchange of knowledge and for the overall social / economic betterment of the village communities.
- vi. Examination reforms - test the concept, and application; exit examinations.
- vii. Tracking of the student progress after completion of Course.
- viii. Induction  training  for  all  new  teachers,  and  annual  refresher  training  for  all teachers - role of the NRCs; and mandatory leadership / management training for all educational administrators.
- ix. Promoting quality research by faculty and creation of new knowledge.
- x. Mentoring  of  non-accredited  institutions,  so  that  every  Institutions  can  get accreditation by 2022.
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