Issue of IIT status for engg. colleges still open
 | Visakhapatnam, October 01: The issue of campus engineering colleges of Andhra and Osmania Universities getting IIT status is still open as the State Government is waiting for a reply from the Union Ministry of HRD and the UGC on its proposal on sharing half the seats. |
Colleges being given IIT status or the status of other national institutions have to allow half the seats to be filled from all-India quota. Hence the State Government has suggested to the Ministry of HRD and UGC to allow the intake to be doubled so that the local candidates would be left with the same number of seats, said Chairman of AP State Council of Higher Education K.C. Reddy here on Sunday.
OU was worried that half the seats in its engineering college would not be available to local students but it was ready to accept the status if the intake was doubled, he said. “There are some positive indications from MHRD and UGC to our proposal,” he disclosed.
Regarding the deemed universities, Prof. Reddy said as of now the Government had no say at all in their affairs but almost all States represented to the Centre and UGC that the antecedents and all other aspects of the institutions must be thoroughly verified and the State Governments taken into consideration before granting deemed university status. “Deemed varsities must be welcomed but private sector entry and partnership in higher education must have a regulatory mechanism if not control, to ensure quality education that has relevance to the society,” Prof. Reddy said. This topic was discussed during a review meeting held by Chief Minister Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy and the APSCHE’s governing body meeting at Hyderabad tomorrow would discuss it once again, he said.