SC restores AICTE powers to regulate Technical & Management education

Honble Supreme Court of India in its interim order dated April 17, 2014 after hearing the petition of Odisha Technical College Association (OTCA) restored the regulatory control of technical and management education to AICTE. The latest order reverses the earlier order dated April 25, 2013 according to which institutes affiliated to University did not require AICTE approval. The interim order has allowed AICTE to move according to the Approval Process handbook for another year 2014-15. The order restores the pre April 25, 2013 regulatory position to AICTE.

Providing the interim relief on the petition, the Apex court order says AICTE shall now proceed in accordance with the approval process handbook for the 2014-15 academic year in so far as members of the petitioner association and all colleges and institutions situated similarly to the members of the petitioners association. The hearing on the petition before the final order is expected to continue.

There are about 13000 colleges which are expected to have a sigh of relief by this interim order. All India Council of Technical Education (AICTE) is in the process of finalizing the modalities and may be out with the necessary notification in a day or two.

The Background
On April 25, 2013 the Honorable Supreme Court of India ordered that management education is no longer a part of AICTEs domain. Subsequently, onDecember 3, UGC issued a notification which attempted to bring PGDM B-schools into its ambit.

Our readers will remember that in the back drop of the UGCs announcement of a new draft guidelines to regulate thousands of technical colleges including engineering and management schools, on December 28, 2013, EPSI, with support from MBAUniverse.com, organized a National Meet inNew Delhi, which was attended by nearly100 Chairmen, Directors & Deans from leading B-schools. Based on the discussions in the meeting EPSI had written a letter to Union HRD Minister Pallam Raju on December 31, 2013 asking his ministrys intervention on this matter.On persuasion from EPSI and PGDM institutions, PGDM was excluded by UGC from its ambit.

Given the regulatory vacuum, EPSI moved Honorable Supreme Court in January 2014 to seek advice on who will regulate PGDM. Honorable Court asked AICTE if it had any objections to regulating PGDM. Upon AICTEs consent, Court ruled that AICTE be the regulator for Admissions 2014-15 academic year.

The development came after a Supreme Court of India order dated January 16, 2014, that stated that AICTE will be regulating the PGDM institutions for the year 2014-15. Education Promotion Society for India (EPSI) had filed an interim application in the Honble Supreme Court of India requesting it to direct AICTE to take necessary steps to initiate the process of granting extension of approval for the year 2014-15 in compliance of the order dated 28/08/2013 passed by the Honble Supreme Court of India.

It has now been made clear by the Apex court of India that University Grants Commission has no role in technical education and All India Council of Technical Education (AICTE) will be the regulatory authority for technical education.

Henceforth, AICTE is the authority to approve the setting up of new PGDM and Diploma/ Post Diploma level institutions and apart from such approval in accordance to AICTE prescribed norms, the regulatory body will award approval for continuance of programmes; increase/decrease in intake; adding courses in existing programmes; closure of courses; change of the name of the institute; starting 2nd shift or part time courses..

Stay tuned to MBAUniverse.com of more news and updates on AICTE and PGDM B-schools