Bhubaneswar: Despite losing autonomous status, eight colleges in the State have been taking admissions and providing certificates to students citing their autonomy, said sources.
With the matter coming to fore, protests by students have been reported from these colleges.
According to sources, students are being tricked at these eight colleges as authorities have not yet communicated about the lapse of their autonomous status. Out of the eight colleges, some have either not received the autonomous status or the autonomy has been withdrawn long back.
Jajpur NC College has lost autonomous status since 2012. However, admission for self-financing courses at Plus III level is being conducted by the college on claims of being autonomous.
“We are studying at this college for its autonomous status only. Otherwise we would have gone to other colleges for a degree certificates. As we have not been told about the truth, we have launched a strike,” said Manisha Sahu, a student of NC College, Jajpur.
“Prior to autonomous status, the National Assessment and Accreditation Council (NAAC) accreditation is mandatory. Last year only we got the NAAC accreditation. We have applied for autonomous status now,” said Laxmidhara Mishra, Principal of SCS College, Puri.
As per the data of University Grants Commission (UGC), eight colleges affiliated to Utkal University have lost autonomous status.
Now question arises how these colleges are declaring themselves as ‘autonomous’.
Usually after getting the ‘A’ grade from the NAAC, colleges are bound to apply to the UGC following which the autonomous status is given on the basis of certain parameters.
“The State government is not letting the colleges know about the withdrawal of their autonomy. Neither we are communicated nor the colleges are being informed,” said Santosh Tripathy, director of the College Development Council, Utkal University.
On the other hand, Union Human Resource Development (HRD) Minister Prakash Javadekar has said that IITs, NAAC, NBA and IIMs will be consulted for speedy assessment and accreditation of higher educational institutes in the country.