High-end infrastructure, lucrative campus placements and also the startling 100% cutoff - with all these, Shri Ram College of Commerce appears to be one of the best places to be. However, the UGC has turned down its request to be labelled as a 'college with potential for excellence (CPE)'.
SRCC, which had applied to the University Grants Commission (UGC) two years ago for the CPE status, came to know about the rejection only last week.
UGC awards the CPE status to a college that has achieved high standards of teaching and research and has brought in innovation. Following the status, the UGC grants Rs 1.5 crore to help the college improve and strengthen its infrastructure and attain higher academic standards.
Sri Venkateswara College and Gargi College already enjoy the CPE status in Delhi University; SRCC missed it for the lack of an accreditation from the National Assessment and Accreditation Council (NAAC).
SRCC principal P C Jain said: "We recently came to know that our application was not accepted. We still haven't got anything in written from UGC. Once we receive an official letter, we may write to them to make the procedure and the criteria more broadbased."
To award the CPE status, UGC already looks for transparency in admissions, consistent academic improvement, introduction of innovation in curriculum, strengthening of laboratories, improvement of college library, use of IT and current technologies in academic and administrative activities, students' performance, participation in sports and other co-curricular and extra-curricular activities by students, and improvement of tutorial system.
However, according to UGC, an accreditation from NAAC has become necessary to qualify for CPE since the Eleventh Plan period. "So going by this, none of the colleges in Delhi University can now get the CPE status. A college should have got at least three stars or a B grade to be eligible to apply for CPE. It's a very important scheme of UGC," said a senior UGC official. The other two colleges were awarded this status in 2004-05 during the Tenth Plan period.
The UGC chairperson, Professor Ved Prakash, said: "The rejection of application should not be seen as a reflection of the quality of the institution. Such a status cannot be granted also when the quota of a state is already full."
According to the scheme, only 6% of colleges in a state can be awarded this status. There are 74 colleges funded by UGC and other government agencies under Section XII B of the UGC Act. UGC had awarded the CPE status and funds to 97 colleges in the country in 2004-05. However, the commission had planned to award the same status to 100 new colleges in the Eleventh Plan.
Source: Times of India
0 comments:
Post a Comment