The government of India in the last decade faced a lot of cases surfacing with students and many seniors availing fake certificates to start their careers. But this norm is changing in the last few years, with the growing technology it is becoming really difficult to identify what is real and what is fake. The country is going around with fake news, certificates, degrees and now even fake universities. This scandalous current of Fake Universities is increasing with each passing year like a wildfire, and if this continues then soon the Indian Higher Education system will feel the burns.
The Chronicles of Fake Universities
Recently, The data provided by Satya Pal Singh, Minister of State in Lok Sabha deemed 277 Engineering Institute as fake in India existing currently. The shocking results also showed that the national capital, Delhi is the home to the most of these fake institutions. The number of fake engineering colleges identified in Delhi are outrageous, followed by Telangana and then West Bengal.
The Human Resource and Development(HRD) Ministry asked All India Council Of Technical Education (AICTE) to take actions against these Universities. The most revolting thing is not the high numbers of the fake institution but the fact that this is not happening for the first time in our country. The UGC previously this year in April had announced a list of 24 “self-styled” fake universities in India. The Universities were spotted in:
- Bihar
- Delhi
- Karnataka
- Kerala
- Maharashtra
- West Bengal
- Uttar Pradesh
- Odisha
- Puducherry
You can check the full list by visiting the UGC Site Delhi being the capital of the country is an educational hub seeing thousands of admissions yearly. Sadly, Delhi also harbours the most number of fake institutions which are pulling the level of higher education in the capital down. In May 2018 the government released a list of 12 fake education boards found in Delhi. The Delhi Police has also claimed that they have accessed a list of some of the beneficiaries of the gang running a fake admission racket.
“According to the University Grants Commission Act, 1956 under section 22(1) provides that a degree can be awarded, only by a University established under a central, state/provincial act or an institution deemed to be university under Section 3 of the UGC Act or an institution especially empowered by an Act of Parliament to confer the degree.”
A similar case was seen in Rajasthan too where the Rajasthan Higher education department held an enquiry for 151 private colleges for not obtaining the necessary no objection certificates (NOC).
According to officials, Strict actions were suggested to be taken against these colleges, as well as demand the affiliation of these colleges to be canceled was also done. However, it was also made clear that the students who are currently studying will not have to face any problem. The institutes won’t be permitted to run the session from the next session.
But the difference between these 277 Fake universities and that of Rajasthan’s Private Universities lies in the fact that the prior ones have no approval from UGC, therefore, the UGC has slapped these institutions with notices to shut down.
And the fates of the students and teachers are not very bright. The UGC is in no mood to forgive students with degrees from unrecognized universities or give them any relaxation.
“Students should take an informed decision. We try to create as much public awareness as possible, giving notices in newspapers, and on our website. If students join a course blindly, then it’s their misfortune.”, said an official from UGC.
Furthermore, this has impacted the Higher Education sector very deeply. The annual All India Survey on Higher Education (AISHE) report showed 80,000 Ghost teachers in the Indian Higher Education System in its survey. The UGC and the government on the other has not taken any strict decision against these teachers. The destiny of teachers from 277 Fake Engineering colleges is yet to be decided by the AICTE.
Fake Universities – The actions and lack of one
We are all aware of the existence of fake universities in India. And the fact that they are being discovered recently is raising eyebrows over these sudden movements against these universities.
The announcement of a new body replacing UGC called the Higher Education Commission of India ( HECI ) can also be the reason for driving this change. The government currently seems desperate to bring HECI into reality and perhaps these actions can be seen in the light towards shining light on the relevance of a more strict regulatory body.
The sad part about the whole ordeal is that the government has taken no strict actions against these fake universities so far. The lack of measurements and proper governance and regulations taken towards monitoring these universities can also be one of the reasons why these fake universities are growing rapidly.
The UGC and government have tried to make the people aware by publishing a list every year. But is that enough?The need of the hour requires stricter actions to be exercised. the government also needs to lay down certain ground rules. The future of the students and teachers trapped in this scandal of fake universities should be the priority of the Government.
