UGC has requested for host HEIs to share their infrastructure with other HEIs with a nominal amount charge (Representative image)
The government of India and UGC have been supporting central universities and other higher educational institutions to set up better infrastructural facilities and resources
The University Grants Commission (UGC) has issued a letter requesting higher education institutions (HEIs) to better optimise the utilization of the resources available to them. They have also shared a set of guidelines that these institutions can keep in mind for proper implementation.
They have requested for host HEIs to share their infrastructure with other HEIs with a nominal amount charge. Not only will other HEIs be able to access necessary resources, but this revenue can also help the host institutions with the maintenance of their resources. Host HEIs can have other institutions access their resources, like libraries, laboratories, equipment, etc. whenever it is available. Furthermore, they have shared a number of guidelines and requested all universities and colleges to take appropriate measures in the implementation.
As per the letter shared by UGC on Wednesday, the statutory body stated that the government of India and the commission have been supporting central universities and other higher educational institutions to set up better infrastructural facilities and resources. This is done to make sure that there is a qualitative improvement in research and development activities. Such facilities require continuous funding for maintenance, which is why UGC had requested HEIs to adopt measures for better utilization.
As per their guidelines, the UGC has mentioned that the optimum utilisation of existing resources will increase the output without any additional investment. This cooperation and collaboration among higher educational institutions can make these resources more accessible and equitable to everyone. They have shared the process and manner of sharing these resources. These include the degree of the case of access to resources between the host and guest institution, the guidelines regarding initiating the process of resource sharing, and the facilities to be opened for sharing.
Other than this, there are also guidelines for layering or categorization of the resources in terms of their skills and requirements, terms and conditions on the use of these resources, guidelines for the Distant model, Cost analysis, Collaborative funded research, and the operations of these facilities.
Meanwhile, the University Grants Commission has also directed universities to set up statutory bodies to simplify the process of pursuing dual degrees. This means students will be able to pursue two academic programmes simultaneously. This order also came in April last year. However, students faced issues with its implementation. UGC once again issued this order in the larger interest of the students.
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