The ongoing battle for control over technical education in the country between top regulators All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE) and University Grants Commission (UGC) has taken a new turn with private technical colleges opposing new UGC regulations. An SC order on April 25 curtailed the powers of AICTE and vested them with UGC,which issued the new guidelines for technical education last week. The Pallam Raju-led Human Resource Development (HRD) Ministry is trying to work out a compromise formula,so that UGC and AICTE can co-regulate technical education. Representatives of several private engineering colleges met Raju Monday and complained that UGC had rushed with new regulations on technical education,leaving them little time to comply. They demanded that the AICTE framework for evaluation should be continued as it was working well. Sources said the ministry was planning to issue an order under section 25 of UGC Act 1956 directing the Commission to conduct mandated evaluation of technical colleges through AICTE. It has sought the opinion of the Law Ministry on the feasibility of such an order in view of the SC ruling. Section 25 says the central government may,by a notification in the official gazette,make rules to carry out the purposes of UGC Act. Depending on the legal opinion,the HRD Ministry will take this forward. It is also of concern that institutes have indicated a preference for the e-governance-backed AICTE framework for granting approvals. The ministry is trying to work out a mechanism to use AICTE expertise while respecting the SC order, a senior official said. The Supreme Court has ruled that AICTE has no authority to issue any sanction on universities and affiliated colleges do not need its approval to run MBA and MCA courses. The HRD Ministry has been trying to restore AICTE powers but without success so far. It was considering an ordinance to amend AICTE Act but abandoned the plan after the fiasco over the ordinance on convicted MPs.
