Page 3 - Ugc

Interim Budget: UGC faces 60% cut, budget for school education increased

The University Grants Commission (UGC) has faced a budget cut this year with the Centre reducing its grant by over 60 per cent while the allocation for Indian Institutes of Management (IIMs) has been slashed for the second consecutive year. The budget for school education has been increased by over Rs 500 crore but the grant for higher education has been reduced by over Rs 9600 crore from the previous fiscal year's Revised Estimate (RE). In the interim budget for 2024-25 announced by Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Thursday, the funding for UGC has been brought down to Rs 2500 crore from the previous year's RE of Rs 6409 crore, a 60.99 per cent drop. The IIMs counted among the noted business schools in the country, have faced a cut in the budget for the second year in a row. Last year, the budget for IIMs was slashed from Rs 608.23 crore (RE) to Rs 300 crore. This year, the budget has been brought down further to Rs 212.21 crore from the Revised Estimate of Rs 331 crore. Th

Congress slams govt over UGC 'dereservation' row, demands to sack chairman

Stepping up attack, the Congress on Monday demanded the dismissal of UGC Chairman M Jagadesh Kumar over the draft guidelines for "de-reservation" of posts in higher education institutions, with party leader Rahul Gandhi alleging it was a "conspiracy" to end the reservation given to SC, ST and OBC categories. The party had on Sunday demanded the immediate withdrawal of the UGC's draft guidelines proposing that any vacancy reserved for SC, ST and OBC candidates can be "declared unreserved" if enough candidates from these categories are not available. Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan, however, has clarified that not a single post will be de-reserved and there is no scope for ambiguity about reservations after the introduction of the Central Educational Institutions (Reservation in Teachers' Cadre) Act, 2019. In a post in Hindi on X, Gandhi claimed it was an attempt by BJP and RSS to "eliminate" the participation of deprived sections and the party demanded that Kumar should .

Modi govt doing politics of symbolism with Dalits, backwards, tribals: Cong

The Congress on Sunday alleged that there is a "conspiracy" to end reservation given to SCs, STs and OBCs for posts in higher education institutions, and claimed that the Modi government is only doing "politics of symbolism" with regard to Dalits, backward classes and tribals. Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh shared a media report on X which said that the University Grants Commission (UGC) has issued draft guidelines for de-reserving vacancies meant for the scheduled castes (SC), the scheduled tribes (SC) and Other Backward Classes (OBCs) candidates for posts in higher education institutes (HEIs) and open them up for the general category if enough reserved candidates are not available. Ramesh demanded that such a proposal should be withdrawn immediately. In his post in Hindi, Ramesh said, "A few years ago, RSS (Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh) chief Mohan Bhagwat had talked about reviewing reservations. Now, there is a conspiracy to end the reservation given to SCs, STs and OBCs

No reserved posts can be de-reserved: Ministry on draft UGC guidelines

The Ministry of Education (MoE) on Sunday clarified that no reserved posts can be de-reserved after draft guidelines by the University Grants Commission (UGC) proposed that any vacancy reserved for SC, ST and OBC candidates can be declared unreserved if enough candidates from these categories are not available The 'Guidelines for Implementation of the Reservation Policy of the Government of India in Higher Education Institutes (HEIs)' are in the public domain for feedback from stakeholders. The draft guidelines have been receiving backlash from several quarters. The Congress alleged there is a "conspiracy" to end reservation given to SCs, STs and OBCs in posts in higher education institutions and that the Modi government is only doing "politics of symbolism" on the issues of Dalits, backward classes and tribals. The JNU Students' Union (JNUSU) also staged a protest against it and burnt an effigy of UGC Chairman M Jagadesh Kumar. Kumar also clarified that there has been no ...

Pariksha Pe Charcha: UGC urges colleges to make arrangements for telecast

The seventh edition of Pariksha Pe Charcha will take place this year in Bharat Mandapam, Pragati Maidan in New Delhi

Provide study material in Indian languages digitally: Govt to institutions

The Centre has directed schools and higher education institutions to provide study material for all courses in Indian languages digitally within the next three years, officials said on Friday. The decision is aimed at providing students the opportunity to study in their own language. "The government has directed all school and higher education regulators like UGC, AICTE, NCERT, NIOS, IGNOU and heads of INIs like IITs, CUs and NITs to make study material in Indian languages available for all courses in the next three years. "UGC, AICTE and the Department of School Education have also been asked to take up the issue with regard to state schools and universities," the Ministry of Education (MoE) said in a statement. "The above directions have emerged from the recommendations of the National Education Policy (NEP) for promoting multilingualism in education at every level, so that students get the opportunity to study in their own language, and can have better learning outcomes," it ...

UGC NET December 2023 Result: NTA revised final result date, check details

UGC NET December 2023 Result: NTA revises exam data, the testing agency will now release the final result on January 17, 2024. Here's all you need to know

MPhil not a 'recognised' degree anymore: University body warns students

The UGC has requested the universities authorities to take immediate steps to stop admissions to the MPhil programme for the 2023-24 academic year

UGC warns edtech cos offering degrees in association with foreign varsities

The UGC has warned edtech companies and colleges offering degrees in collaborative arrangements with foreign universities not recognised by it, according to officials. The University Grants Commission (UGC) has also reiterated that none of these degrees will be valid and cautioned students against taking admission in such courses. "It has been observed that many Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) and colleges have entered into collaborative agreements with foreign-based educational institutions or providers not recognised by the commission and have been facilitating the issuance of foreign degrees to the students," UGC Secretary Manish Joshi said. "Any such kind of collaboration or arrangement is not recognised by the UGC and, accordingly, the degrees issued subsequent to such collaboration arrangement are also not recognised by the commission," he added. Joshi said it has also come to the UGC's notice that some edtech companies are advertising in newspapers, social media and ...

UGC notifies regulations for foreign higher education institutions in India

The regulations mandate that No Foreign Higher Educational Institution shall offer any programme in India without the prior approval of the Commission

UGC to update National Eligibility Test syllabus, says Chairman Jagadesh

UGC to revise National Eligibility Test (NET) syllabus, says UGC chairman Jagadesh Kumar. Every year, the UGC NET will conduct the examination twice a year in June and December

UGC proposal allows postgraduate students flexibility in selecting courses

Higher education regulator proposes that students have the option to pursue two courses simultaneously and get credits for work experience

Draft UGC norms: One-year PG may be allowed for those with 4-year UG

Students with a four-year undergraduate degree may be allowed to pursue one-year masters, and all PG students will be able to change disciplines or switch to alternative modes of learning including offline, distance, online and hybrid, according to draft UGC norms on postgraduate courses. The University Grants Commission (UGC) has prepared a draft curriculum and credit framework for PG courses which will be put in public domain soon. According to recommendations made in the new National Education Policy (NEP), for students completing a four-year bachelor's programme with honours/honours with research, there could be a one-year master's programme. "Seemingly it appears there are three designs of PG such as 1-year master, 2-year master, and an integrated 5-year programme. However, given that in 4-year UG there are bachelor's (Hons.) and bachelors (Hons. with Research), creditization of work experience, combinations of disciplines with emerging subjects such as AI, Machine Learning, et

UGC announces regulations for operation of foreign universities in India

The University Grants Commission (UGC) on Wednesday notified the regulations for foreign universities to set up and operate their campuses in India. "The regulations aim to facilitate the entry of Foreign Higher Educational Institutions (FHEIs) into India, in line with the NEP recommendations and to provide an international dimension to higher education in India. "These regulations aim to ensure that the education imparted in the (India) campus is at par with that of the main campus in the country of origin and that its operations comply with the applicable laws and regulations," UGC Chairman M Jagadesh Kumar said. According to the regulations, "Foreign institutions intending to establish campuses in India should have secured a position within the top 500 in the overall category of global rankings, as decided by the commission from time to time, or should have secured a position within the top 500 in the subject-wise category of global rankings and should possess outstanding ...

Colleges, varsities must disclose fee structure, refund policy: UGC chief

The UGC has made it mandatory for universities and higher education institutions to disclose on their websites details of fee structure and refund policy, hostel facilities, scholarships, rankings and accreditation, according to top officials. The move comes after the higher education regulator observed that the websites of several universities lack not only in providing basic minimum information but many of these are not functional and updated. Details of patents, foreign and industry collaborations, internal quality assurance cell, internal complaint committee, anti-ragging cell with helpline number, and equal opportunity cell, are also part of a checklist issued by the University Grants Commission (UGC). "We have found that the websites of several universities lack not only in providing basic minimum information related to their university but also at many a times their websites are not functional and updated. This causes lot of inconveniences and uncertainty to the ...

UGC NET December 2023 cycle exam dates announced, to begin on Dec 6

"#Announcement UGC-NET December 2023 cycle will be conducted from 6th December to 22 December 2023," the NTA said in a post on 'X' on Tuesday

NTA announces CUET 2024 dates for UG, PG; check schedule, details

The CUET-UG aims to streamline the admission process for undergraduate programs across various universities and colleges in India

CUET-UG to be conducted from May 15 to 31; CUET-PG from Mar 11 to 28

The University Grants Commission on Tuesday announced schedule for three key entrance exams -- CUET-UG, CUET-PG, and NET for 2024-25 academic session. Common University Entrance Test (CUET)-UG for admission to undergraduate courses will be conducted from May 15 to 31, 2024. "Results will be announced within three weeks of last test," UGC Chairman M Jagadesh Kumar said. The CUET-PG will be conducted from March 11 to 28. The National Eligibility Test (NET) will be conducted from June 10 to 21, he announced.

UGC bars varsities from printing Aadhaar number on degrees, certificates

Printing of Aadhaar number of students on degrees and provisional certificates is not allowed, the University Grants Commission has told varsities. The directive by the higher education regulator comes amid reports that state governments are considering printing of full Aadhaar numbers on provisional certificates and degrees issued by universities, for subsequent use in verification of said documents at the time of recruitment or admission. As per norms, no entity in possession of Aadhaar number shall make public any database or record containing the same unless the number has been redacted or blacked out through appropriate means, UGC Secretary Manish Joshi said in a letter to varsities. Printing of Aadhaar numbers on degrees and provisional certificates is not permissible. The higher education institutions should strictly comply with rules and regulations of UIDAI, he added.

NCERT granted deemed university status: Education Minister Pradhan

The National Council of Educational Research and Training has been granted deemed university status, Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan announced on Friday. The minister made the announcement during his address at the 63rd foundation day of the NCERT. As the apex organisation for school education, the NCERT undertakes various activities and programmes, including educational research and innovation, curriculum development and development of textual and teaching-learning materials.