Ministry of Human Resource Development (MHRD) has extended the deadline for stakeholders to submit their suggestions and comments of the UGC Repeal Act 2018. Earlier, the last date to submit any comment was July 7, 2018 but the deadline has been extended till July 20, 2018. This could mean much needed relief for several educationists and teachers who were perturbed by the small time frame given.
When MHRD had asked for comments and suggestions on the draft bill, one of the concerns among the teacher fraternity was that the time given for the exercise is not only less but also unfair as during this period almost all universities are either closed or are conducting admission processes leaving no time for the teachers to pore over the draft bill.
Since MHRD has released the draft bill, it has received much criticism from many concerned parties which have alleged that the UGC Repeal Act or HECI Act 2018 will only increase government's interference into the administration of a Higher Education Institute.
One of the major concerns was that with the new act in place, the grant giving power will remain with the government. The draft bill reads, "The grant functions would be carried out by the HRD Ministry, and the HECI would focus only on academic matters."
To dispense these worries, MHRD released a press note in which it said that the government has not made any final decisions about the grant giving power. It also said, "The Government is keen to ensure that the grant-giving process shall be purely merit-based, online, objective system that assures both transparency and efficiency with least human interface."
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