The government's decision to grant graded autonomy to 62 institutions will truly liberalise the Indian Higher Education Sector. FICCI congratulates Prakash Javadekar, Minister of Human Resource Development, on this landmark announcement. Institutions that have been given full autonomy will not need permission of the University Grants Commission (UGC) now to start a course, fix fees, set up a new department or open offline campuses. These will also be free to have collaboration with foreign counterparts, hire foreign faculty, and admit students from abroad.
Welcoming the decision, Mohandas Pai, Chair, FICCI Skill Development Committee and Chairman, Manipal Global Education and said, "This is great news, after 50+ years of control with declining standards, the top Universities have finally got their freedom. This is indeed historic and Government has kept its promise." He further added, "Going forward, we hope the top 200 Universities will also enjoy this very soon. We now need a Rs 5000 cr research fund to improve India?s global standing in Higher Education."
Vidya Yeravdekar, Chair, FICCI Higher Education Committee and Pro-Chancellor, Symbiosis International University said, "We are very happy with the decision of MHRD and UGC of giving autonomy to certain category of institutions. This will not just help in expansion but in driving excellence in these institutions."
Rajan Saxena, Advisor, FICCI Higher Education Committee and Vice Chancellor, Narsee Monjee Institute of Management Studies said, "The decision of MHRD to grant autonomy to 62 institutions in India in category-I or category-II, is indeed a step forward in making Indian Higher Education excellent and of a global quality. The government and the Honourable Minister need to be complimented for this bold and visionary step." He also added, "This will help institutions emerge as benchmarks and not only so, also emerge as a global benchmark, especially in emerging markets."