Although the Supreme Court of India stayed till further orders the decision of the Indian government to derecognize 44 deemed universities across the country keeping in view the interests of around 200,000 students enrolled in these institutions, many non-resident Indian (NRI) students among them remain uncertain and concerned as these universities have only a period of three years to meet the eligibility criteria. “What can we do if our university is not able to meet the eligibility criteria? Will we be considered as the alumni of an esteemed university?” asked Sahul Hameed (name changed on request), a student of Noorul Islam University in Kanyakumari, Tamil Nadu, which is one of the universities declared as a “deemed-to-be-university” by the Indian ministry of higher education in a notification issued on Dec. 8, 2008. “It is easy to get admission to deemed universities as opposed to other reputed institutes, which only accept students scoring a very high percentage in the exams. Moreover, donations asked by the deemed universities are comparatively less as they have the autonomy to set their own guidelines regarding admission and fees,” he said. Hameed said that his cousin also accepted admission in a deemed university because she was unable to sit the entrance exam of another renowned university as she was in Jeddah at that time. “She is a brilliant student who sadly was left with no option but to register with a deemed university,” he said. According to him, in view of the current educational reforms taking place in India, the concept of deemed universities will soon be a thing of the past, resulting in much “concern and suffering” among students resident abroad, as in Saudi Arabia, “where students have no other option but to go back to their home country for higher education”. India has nearly 100 deemed universities that function as stand-alone universities and do not provide affiliation to other institutions. The 44 deemed universities were found lacking on grounds of infrastructure and expertise in disciplines they claim to specialize in. They currently have 119,363 students at the undergraduate and postgraduate levels. Besides, there are 2,124 students pursuing research at M. Phil and PhD levels and an estimated 74,808 students pursuing distance education courses. As many as 41 of the 44 deemed universities have several constituent institutions under them, which would further swell the number of affected students, according to a news report. Seconding Hameed's concerns, his friend A. M. Shafeeq studying at Saveetha University, a deemed university in Chennai, said: “The HRD minister has said that all the students of deemed universities will get a university degree. However, we do not know what will happen next.” Hameed said that a case involving the deemed universities will be heard by the Supreme Court. “Let's see, what happens,” he said. Shakeel Ahmed, education consul at the Indian consulate in Jeddah, told to Saudi Gazette that the HRD ministry has recommended safeguards for students affected by the decision. Institutions not found fit for deemed university status can “revert to status quo ante as an affiliated college of the state university of jurisdiction so that students will be able to complete their ongoing courses and obtain their degree from the affiliated university,” he said. Similarly, he said, medical and dental colleges not found fit for deemed university status can affiliate to the state university or the state medical university. In case the institution is unable to obtain affiliation, efforts will be made to facilitate enrolment of the affected students in other institutions. Universities or institutions registered with the Association of Indian Universities (AIU) are recognized. They are available on AIU's website: http://www.aiuweb.org/Members/MembersA.asp. Ahmed said that Indian schools in Saudi Arabia conduct counseling sessions by inviting experts to educate students on the various options of higher education available in India. Under the planned regulations, deemed universities currently running distance education courses will be asked to seek affiliation from state open universities (SOUs) or the Indira Gandhi National Open University (IGNOU). “Affiliation will ensure that the future of distance education students currently enrolled in deemed universities is not at risk. Students will receive degrees from the recognized open universities that grant affiliation — an SOU or the IGNOU,” Dr. Pankaj Khare, director of planning division of IGNOU, New Delhi, told Saudi Gazette. “These institutions that are named deemed-to-be-universities loose their credibility and have to follow the regulations of affiliating universities, and if that university is not recognized by the DEC as a Dual Mode University, these institutions cannot offer distance education or any other program,” said Khare. He said affiliation to a State Open University or to the IGNOU is not necessary, if the university or the institution has authority to certify or to award degrees by the UGC, HRD ministry or the state legislation. – SG According to a news report, the HRD ministry's review committee found the following glaring omissions in the case of the 44 deemed universities: • Undesirable management structure where families rather than professional academics controlled the functioning. • Several institutions had violated the principles and guidelines prescribing excellence in teaching and research and were engaged in the introduction of thoughtless programs. • Little evidence of noticeable efforts in case of emerging areas of knowledge. • Little evidence of commitment towards research. • Institutions increased their intake capacity disproportionately. • Undergraduate and post-graduate courses were fragmented with concocted nomenclatures. • Higher fee structure than prescribed.List of 44 deemed universities (released by the HRD ministry) • Meenakshi Academy of Higher Education and Research, Chennai • Chettinad Academy of Research and Education, Padur, Kancheepuram • Dr. M.G.R. Educational and Research Insitute, Chennai • Saveetha University, Chennai • Kalasalingam University, Virudhunagar • Periyar Maniammai University, Thanjavur, Tamil Nadu • Marine Engineering and Research Institute, Chennai • Vels Institute of Science, Technology and Advanced Studies, Chennai • Karpagam University, Coimbatore • Vel Multi Tech Sri Rangarajan Sakunthala Engineering College, Chennai • Sri Balaji Vidyapeeth University, Pondicherry • Vinayaka Missions University, Salem, Tamil Nadu • Bharat Institute of Science & Technology, Selaiyur Tambaram, Chennai • Ponnaiyah Ramajayam College, Thanjavur • Rajiv Gandhi National Institute of Youth Development, Sriperumbudur • St.Peter's University of Higher Education and Research, Chennai • Noorul Islam University, Kanyakumari • Institute of History of Art Conservation and Musicology, New Delhi • Nava Nalanda Mahavira, Nalanda, Bihar • Christ College, Bangalore, • Lingaya's University in Faridabad, Haryana • Jaypee Institute of Information Technology in Noida • Sri Devraj Urs Academy of Higher Education and Research, Kolar • Yenepoya University, Mangalore • BLDE University, Bijapur • Sri Siddhartha Academy of Higher Education, Tumkur • Jain University, Bangalore. • Institute of Advanced Studies in Education (IASE) of Gandhi Vidya Mandir, Sardarshahr • DY Patil University in Maharashtra • Gurukul Kangri Vishwavidyalaya, Haridwar • The Savita Institute and Vinayaka Mission in Tamil Nadu. • Yenepoya University, University Road, Mangalore • BLDE University, Solapur Road , Bijapur • Krishna Institute of Medical Sciences, Satara • DY Patil Medical College, Kolhapur, • Mody Institute of Technology and Science, Rajasthan • Shobhit Institute of Information Technology, Meerut • Jaypee Institute of Information Technology, Noida • Manav Rachna International University, Faridabad • Santosh University, Ghaziabad • Nehru Gram Bharati Vishwavidyalaya, Allahabad • Siksha O Anusandhan, Bhubaneswar, Orissa • Maharishi Markandeshwar Univ, Maullana, Ambala • Graphic Era University, Dehradun __
