In a significant move to enhance transparency and accountability, the University Grants Commission (UGC) has unveiled a proposal that mandates all higher educational institutions (HEIs) to comprehensively disclose crucial information on their websites. This initiative aims to provide essential data to prospective students, parents, research scholars, government officials, alumni, and the general public, ensuring informed decision-making in the higher education system.
The UGC’s proposal stipulates that HEIs must furnish detailed information regarding their institutional status, key personnel, prospectus, fee structures, and refund policies, with a requirement to include faculty photographs and contact details. This information will be made accessible to the public for feedback and scrutiny.
In addition to these fundamental details, HEIs are obliged to provide insight into their program offerings, institutional development plans, accreditation and rankings, and academic calendars. They must also share information about Memorandums of Understanding, industry collaborations, foreign partnerships, as well as publications and patents where applicable.
Furthermore, the new regulations demand HEIs to offer comprehensive disclosures regarding student support services, including details about hostels, fellowships, and scholarships. Links to academic credit banks, digital lockers, NAD portals, and the national scholarship portal must be provided for easy access.
As part of their commitment to promoting campus harmony and well-being, HEIs must connect to the e-Samadhaan portal, establish students’ grievance redressal committees, internal quality assurance cells, and internal complaints committees. Crucially, institutions are required to display helpline numbers for anti-ragging cells. Moreover, the UGC insists on the provision of information about ombudspersons, equal opportunity cells, and socio-economically disadvantaged group cells (SEDG).
Chairman of the UGC, M. Jagadesh Kumar, emphasized the importance of these disclosures, stating, “At this defining moment when we are celebrating the third year of the National Education Policy 2020, it would be prudent to desire from the Universities to provide basic minimum information and updated content on their website.”
Notably, the UGC’s calls for transparency have largely gone unheeded in many universities .
This move by the UGC represents a critical step toward ensuring transparency and accessibility in higher education, thereby empowering stakeholders to make well-informed decisions.
