Mumbai: St Xavier’s, Ruia and Jai Hind may get university status

MUMBAI: Autonomous colleges such as St Xavier’s, Ruia and Jai Hind may soon attain university status and will be able to confer degrees and function as separate entities. In a first in the state, the government has asked about 50 prominent autonomous colleges in the state to submit their proposals to become universities, if they intend to. Once a university, the colleges will have more autonomy to design courses, raise funds and participate in global ranking systems. The provision is made available under the Central government’s Rashtriya Uchchatar Shikshan Abhiyaan (RUSA). Colleges, though, are deliberating on the offer.
The mail seeking proposals was sent to colleges early this week by the state’s RUSA cell. Most autonomous colleges, including ones that attained graded autonomy recently, have received the mail from RUSA. “We were stumped by the sudden arrival of the mail. It will give us a lot of liberty no doubt, but we are seeking more clarity. We will have to understand the funding model and what is required from us,” said a principal.

Another said he would like to read the fine print. “We will have to find out if there is any infrastructural requirement for attaining university status. If there is any land requirement. We will have to understand the absolute or partial benefits that we will enjoy as a university. How will students benefit and if we will be allowed to decide our fee structure.”

While the university status will be granted by the University Grants Commission, RUSA will facilitate the process. Autonomous colleges are eligible for upgrade to universities. Meeta Rajiv Lochan, the state’s project director for RUSA, said colleges seem to have a misconception. “Somehow autonomy is always related to fear of losing funding from the government. Existing funding will continue, but whatever new programmes they would want to offer henceforth will be based on a self-financing model. But many self-finance programmes are already on in city colleges. In fact, with the new status, they will get more freedom to raise their own resources, to hire faculty and to collaborate with foreign universities,” she said. “It is a major strategy to promote quality teaching and research in higher education. They can boost their international reputation by participating in global ranking systems,” she added. The eligibility criteria will be the same as seeking deemed university status as laid down by the UGC.

RUSA also has sent out letters to colleges with A Grade in NAAC in two cycles, urging them to go in for autonomy. A student activist said how such autonomy can affect students must be studied. “What if this autonomy allows colleges to decide their own fee structures without any regulation. What if students want a brand name of the university on degrees? These aspects must be studied.”