The Shillong Times

By Our Reporter

 SHILLONG: Cutting across party lines, members from both sides of the House questioned the rationale of the government in allowing ‘mushrooming’ of private universities in the State.

They were critical of the Government for not keeping a tab on the performance and functioning of these universities.

The members also questioned as to why the Government is in favour of setting up of such a large number of private universities in the State.

NCP legislator James K Sangma questioned the motive of these universities for coming to invest into the State.

“The people of the State need to know whether these universities are here to contribute to the development of higher and technical education or they have come just to exploit,” Sangma said while moving an amendment motion of these two private universities Bill (Rajitlal University and International Open University) in the Assembly on Thursday.

Taking into account the performance of the various private universities, he said that it looks like these private universities have come to the State to set up their shop.

The NCP legislator pointed out that out of the eight private universities so far set up in the State, only one has got the recognition of the UGC.

Citing an example about a student who had gone to register in the Employment Exchange after passing out from the Sikkim Manipal University (SMU), he said that the officers in the Employment Exchange refused to register his name since the degree given by SMU is yet to be recognized by the UGC.

While referring to the CMJ University, he said that the owner of this University, CM Jha, who is the secretary of NEITED, was facing charges for non-payment of the loan which he had taken from the Housing and Urban Development Corporation Limited (HUDCO) in 2003-04 while adding that Jha was also arrested by the police in this connection.

“I do not think that students who come out from the CMJ University would not be obtaining BA or BSC Degree. But I am sure they would come out to become a fraud or masters in committing pity crimes,’ Sangma said.

Independent legislator Manas Chaudhuri however emphasized on the need for proper screening of all fresh proposals for setting up of new universities in the State in future while also suggesting the need for setting up of an independent body to monitor the functioning of the permitted universities.

“I think the Government for the moment should put a moratorium on any fresh proposals for setting of the private universities. We should not immediately accept such proposals without properly examining the credential of the sponsoring agency,” Chaudhuri said.

Recalling that he had also received such request from a group from Kolkata when he was the Education Minister, he said that at first he did not accept the draft proposal submitted to him. “It was only after I went to inspect the campus along with senior officials that I agreed to the proposal for allowing the university to be set up in the State,” Chaudhuri claimed.

KHNAM legislator Paul Lyngdoh also called upon the Education department to come out with a complete appraisal on the performance of the various private universities so far.

Lyngdoh also questioned if the State really needs to set up so many private universities while also arguing whether these universities are really serving the interest of the student community of the State.

In reply, Education Minister Prof RC Laloo said the State Government is contemplating to set up a regulatory body for screening and examining the functioning and performance of these private universities.

“Personally I am also deeply concerned about this matter. At the moment we are in process of establishing such a body for regulating these private universities,” but he refused to give any deadline for constituting the regulatory body.

The two private universities bills were finally passed by the House after the State Government refused to accept the amendment motion for incorporating the State Reservation Policy in the recruitment process of the staff in these two Bills, with the Education Minister saying that the private universities do not come under the ambit of the State Reservation Policy.