AICTE announces approval process for colleges, varsities

JALANDHAR: The All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE), Ministry of Human Resource Development (MHRD), New Delhi, has announced the ‘Approval Process Handbook’ for extension of approvals for 10,495 existing technical institutions/deemed universities in the country and for new upcoming institutions for the academic session 2019-20.

Members of Autorickshaw Workers State Union raise slogans during a protest in Jalandhar on Tuesday. Photo: Malkiat Singh

Tribune News Service
Jalandhar, January 8

The All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE), Ministry of Human Resource Development (MHRD), New Delhi, has announced the ‘Approval Process Handbook’ for extension of approvals for 10,495 existing technical institutions/deemed universities in the country and for new upcoming institutions for the academic session 2019-20.

Submission of online applications for the session 2019-20 in respect of all approvals will begin on January 14 and culminate on February 3.

The last date for submission of online application with penalty (as per the provisions of APH 2019-20) for extension of approval based on self disclosure for existing institutions has been extended up to February 8.

Dr Anshu Kataria, president, Punjab Unaided Colleges Association (PUCA) said: “The new reforms brought by the AICTE in APH is a commendable step, but at the same time to save the dying technical institutions more reforms are required to be incorporated.

Kataria thanked the AICTE for permitting the existing degree colleges to start diploma courses and vice versa. Promoting digitalisation in the country, the AICTE will now consider the laptops as a part of computer laboratories.

Amit Sharma, Senior vice-president, PUCA, welcomed other reforms in covered area norms which will help technical institutions for utilising the existing infrastructure.

Requirement of language laboratory for engineering and technology has now been reduced to 66 sqm from 132 sqm; reduction in number of rooms/labs in engineering and pharmacy; change in faculty ratio for architecture from 1:10 to 1:8 in PG courses. In pharmacy PG courses earlier the ratio was 1:5 but now it has been divided into M Pharma, for which the ratio is 1:10 and in D Pharma, the ratio is 1:15.