THE JHARKHAND STORY NETWORK
Ranchi, Sept 30: The University Grants Commission (UGC) has declared Amity University, Ranchi, as a defaulter under Section 13 of the UGC Act, 1956, for failing to submit mandatory institutional data and for not making required public disclosures on its website. The move underscores growing concerns over transparency in private higher education.
Amity joins ASICT University (Hazaribag), Capital University (Koderma) and Sai Nath University (Ranchi) as the four private universities in Jharkhand named on the default list.
Amity University has also been declared a defaulter in Bihar along with Dr CV Raman University (Vaishali) and Sandip University (Madhubani).
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According to UGC, a total of 54 state private universities across India have currently been designated as defaulters for non-compliance.
Jharkhand hosts approximately 18 state private universities. Among these, four have now been held up for failing to follow UGC’s guidelines on institutional transparency and disclosure.
What led to this action?
The UGC has stated that despite multiple reminders via email and online meetings, the defaulting universities did not:
- Submit the detailed information required for inspection, with supporting documents attested by the registrar.For UGC inspection, a State Private University must provide comprehensive details to establish its legal status, governance, academics, infrastructure, finances, and compliance with regulations. Essential legal documents include the Act or Gazette Notification establishing the university, statutes, ordinances, and proof of land ownership. Information about the sponsoring body, its registration, and objectives is also required.Governance details should cover organisational structures, statutory bodies such as the Governing Board and Academic Council, and profiles of key officials, including the Vice-Chancellor and Registrar. Academic submissions must list all programmes offered, curricula, admission policies, examination methods, and approvals from relevant statutory councils such as AICTE, BCI, or NMC.The faculty profile, including numbers, qualifications, and experience, along with staff–student ratios, is critical. Infrastructure details should include classrooms, laboratories, libraries, hostels, ICT facilities, health and sports amenities, and safety provisions. Financial documents—audited accounts, funding sources, fee structures, budgets, and projections—must also be provided.Additionally, the university should furnish student enrolment data, placement statistics, scholarships, and details of quality assurance mechanisms like IQAC and NAAC/NBA accreditations. Information on off-campus centres, research activities, grievance redressal, and compliance with UGC disclosure norms completes the requirements.2. Upload the filled formats and appendices to their websites, with a clearly visible link on the homepage, making the information accessible to students and the general public without login requirements.
As per UGC’s “Guidelines on Public Self-Disclosure (2024)”, every higher education institution must maintain a functional website that provides critical institutional details (such as faculty, infrastructure, finances, and accreditation) in a user-friendly manner, with a search facility, and no registration or login barrier.
UGC Secretary Manish Joshi emphasised that the directive to defaulting institutions included both submission to UGC and website disclosure, and added that further action may follow if the universities remain non-compliant.
