The University Grants Commission has upgraded the status of University of Madras and recognised it as a category I institution, following its improved NAAC score.
In the recent round of accreditation by the National Assessment and Accreditation Council, the university secured a score of 3.59, an improvement from 3.32, in the previous cycle of NAAC assessment.
“The UGC came up with a regulation for graded autonomy around five years ago. The main benefit is that category I universities can start programmes without the UGC’s approval, and they need to only report it to the UGC. The universities also get higher research grants,” explained P. Duraisamy, former Vice-Chancellor of Madras University.
Universities classified as category I will get ₹100 crore under the Rashtriya Uchchatar Siksha Abhiyan. Until now, University of Madras received ₹50 crore from RUSA. “During my period, the University got a score of 3.52 and was given category II status. Category I (institutions) may also start campuses abroad, without prior approval of the UGC. They must report the development to the Commission and adhere to the UGC’s norms,” Mr. Duraisamy, who was on the UGC committee that drafted the regulations for categorisation, said.
The UGC (Categorisation of universities for grant of graded autonomy regulations) 2018 Committee recognised 60 institutions across the country that year as category I.
RUSA is funded by the Department of Education and the fund is given through the UGC. “If the government announced a programme under RUSA, then, based on the categorisation, grants will be released to the universities,” Mr. Duraisamy said, recalling that during his tenure as V-C (2017-2020), only Alagappa University was in category I.
Since then, Periyar, Madurai Kamaraj University, and Anna University, have moved to category I.
Self-financing institute upgraded
Many deemed universities in the State have already been graded as category I. Recently, Sathyabama Institute of Science and Technology, a self-financing institution, also received category I status.
In his letter to the V-C of Sathyabama Institute of Science and Technology, UGC Secretary Manish Joshi said, the “Deemed-to-be-University shall inform the UGC about the benefits being implemented from the new academic session. ln light of this, the Deemed-to-be-University should acknowledge in writing that it shall strictly comply with all the regulations as mentioned in the provisions (clause 4) of the UGC categorisation of universities (only for Grant of Graded Autonomy Regulations), 2018”.
