Manipal faces UGC flak, asked to discontinue exchange programme with Chinese university

The University Grants Commission has asked the Manipal University not to proceed with an academic exchange programme that it had entered into with a university in China.

The University Grants Commission has asked the Manipal University not to proceed with an academic exchange programme that it had entered into with a university in China.

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In a letter sent on Wednesday, the UGC has asked Manipal University to discontinue the exchange programme that it had signed with the Beijing Institute of Technology, one of the prominent universities of China.

Manipal University had earlier this year signed an MOU with Beijing Institute of Technology for an academic exchange of students, faculty and collaboration of research programmes. It was slated to start from the current academic session.

The HRD ministry had a few days back asked the Commission to look into the matter.

“Under the UGC Deemed University 2010 Regulation, prior approval of the Commission is needed before starting any such programme with a foreign institution. Manipal University has so far not sought any permission,” official sources in the UGC said.

The UGC has also put on the public domain, the University Grants Commission (Promotion and Maintenance of Standards of Academic Collaboration between Indian and Foreign Educational Institutions) Regulations 2012, which has made it mandatory for an Indian university to seek a formal approval from the Commission for collaborating with a foreign educational institute.

Reacting to the UGC decision, Manipal University’s director for public relations and media communications Alex Chandy said: “We have so far not got any letter from the UGC.

Till we get a formal communication, it will be difficult to comment on anything. So far only the MOU has been signed and the programme is in the preliminary stage.”