AICTE issues show-cause notice to private universities for offering degree courses with edtech firms

Two private universities get show-cause notices from the All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE) for offering degree and diploma courses in collaboration with edtech companies, stating that this “outsourcing” is a violation of norms. This action by AICTE comes after the University Grants Commission (UGC) has warned colleges and universities against offering distance learning and online courses in association with edtech companies, saying as per norms, no “franchise” agreement is permissible.

AICTE chairman Anil Sahasrabudhe has appealed to the stakeholders and public to inform them if they encounter similar arrangements between universities and edtech companies. So far, AICTE has issued notices to two universities, but Sahasrabudhe added that they would take action accordingly if they came across more such arrangements.

The AICTE chairman had earlier clarified that the government is not against edtech companies, but they cannot be allowed to delve into areas that are not their domain. As mentioned by PTI, Sahasrabudhe said, “These ed-tech companies were advertising for postgraduate programmes in management and computer applications that can only be offered by universities and approved colleges. Even the top institutions in the country like the Indian Institutes of Management (IIMs) were also not allowed to offer postgraduate management, but only a PG diploma in management until an Act in Parliament was passed. How can we allow ed-tech companies to do so?”

“We have given approvals to universities and colleges to offer degree and diploma programmes, and they are supposed to offer them on their own and not piggyback on private companies or outsource their job to any third party,” he added.

The UGC and AICTE have also advised parents and students to check the recognition status of any such programme on their websites before enrolling into them.

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