NLU Delhi and Nalsar Hyderabad were granted so-called “Class I” autonomy by the University Grants Commission (UGC), which also granted “Class II” autonomy to NLUO Cuttack and RGNUL Patiala among 62 higher education institutes that have been awarded the status, as reported by PTI.
The “Class I” status was conferred on universities and colleges with a National Assessment and Accreditation Council (NAAC) grade point of above 3.5 and the “Class II” status was given to those with a NAAC grade point of above 3.
Symbiosis International, Pune, which also has a law school that is SLS Pune, was also rated Class I, with a score of 3.58, according to PIB.
At least two institutions offering post-graduate legal education, were also ranked: Tata Institute of Social Sciences (TISS) was rated Class I with 3.89 and Indian Law Institute, Class II with a score of 3.35.
“Key indicators”, delineated into “metrics” or NAAC’s assessment units, are identified under the seven heads of curriculum, teaching and evaluation, research and innovation, infrastructure and learning resources, student support and progression, governance, leadership and management and institutional values and best practices, according to the NAAC website.
Human Resource Development (HRD) minister Prakash Javadekar explained in a press release yesterday:
these universities will remain within the ambit of UGC but will have the freedom to start new courses, off campus centers, skill development courses, research parks and any other new academic programs. They will also have the freedom to hire foreign faculty, enroll foreign students, give incentive based emoluments to the faculty, enter into academic collaborations and run open distance learning programmes.
NLU Delhi is already funded generously by the Delhi government, but the picture was slightly bleaker at Nalsar Hyderabad, which struggles with funding and whose VC Prof Faizan Mustafa told us: “It doesn’t help much because there is no funding for NLUs from the UGC.”
Nalsar: Not so useful
Mustafa said that even without requiring the UGC’s permission to hire foreign faculty, universities need permission from the external affairs ministry, which is based on proving that equivalent expertise is not already available in India, even after which foreign faculty needs to be hired at higher salaries.
“The UGC should’ve given autonomy to decide degree nomenclature, duration of courses, subjects they want to keep as mandatory and optional which is still not there,” he commented.
“Also, unless I have autonomy from the BCI also it is not going to drastically improve my situation,” Mustafa added.
NLU Delhi: Nice to have
NLU Delhi vice chancellor Ranbir Singh commented: “The most important aspect, I feel, is that [now autonomous NLUs] can give incentive-based emoluments to the faculty and are at a liberty to give a higher pay scale if they so desire. I can promote faculty based on research output, for example.”
Singh said that the autonomous status would now also enable NLU Delhi to start its academic centers around the city after applying to the Bar Council of India (BCI) for inspection, without special permission from the UGC.
JGLS: Most amazing achievement ever
dc:JGLS Sonepat parent institution JGU won Class II status, with a score of 3.26, alongside other institutions that also offer law degrees, such as ICFAI Hyderabad, KIIT Odisha, and KLE Belgaum.
JGLS VC Prof C Raj Kumar in a press release dubbed the status as “the most amazing achievement of JGU since its inception on 30 September 2009”.
“There are more than 950 universities, 40,000 colleges and 11,000 stand-alone institutions in India and only a small group of 60 institutions in India have been given this status and recognition. OP Jindal Global University is one of only two private universities in India, which have been granted the status of autonomy. There are over 300 private universities in India and among them only 2 have been given this special status. This alone is a significant achievement for JGU,” he stated in the release.
“JGU is also the first and only private university in Haryana to have been given the graded autonomy status among the nearly 25 private universities that have been established by the Government of Haryana,” he added.
Others
NUJS Kolkata, led by its recently very controversial VC Prof Ishwara Bhat, did not apply for the NAAC accreditation as we had reported late last year.
It is understood from sources that NLSIU Bangalore also did not apply for the accreditation. NLSIU VC Prof Venkat Rao was not reachable for comment.
In January 2016, we had reported that NLUO Cuttack’s report submitted to the NAAC, had plagiarised two pages in its report entirely from NLU Delhi’s report.
Comments
a) As he points out, young faculty can be promoted on the basis of research output and teaching feedback, rather than age and seniority. This is important because it can help attract good NLU grads to teach, and make NLUD even more attractive.
b) The part about off-campus education is hugely important. This means that NLUD can rent space in central Delhi and offer executive LLMs/short courses for young lawyers. This can help raise revenue. BCI Only regulates LLB, not LLM and executive courses (these are under UGC control, which will now be lifted).
c) It can help attract UGC funding in the long run.
d) It also acts as an unofficial ranking of sorts. The NAAC scores and graded autonomy levels roughly correspond to how these colleges are perceived in public. Also for younger universities like JGLS, NLUO etc it helps boost their reputation.
e) Finally, I don't agree with Faizan Mustafa 's pessimism. This can act as a first step for removing the top tier NLUs out of the BCI's reach. Also, media reports are saying that the red tape about foreign faculty will also go. But then, instead of hiring foreign faculty he can also reach out to top NALSAR alumni talent and offer them the same salary. He can now do this with the new autonomy. For example, offer Professor rank to NALSAR grads in their late 30s instead of people in their late 50s.
Also, I request the reporter to highlight that there is a clear difference between Grade I and Grade II autonomy. It is like the difference between a First Division and Second Division club. So please put Jindal, Patiala, ICFAI, Symbi etc in a separate box instead of the same box as NALSAR.
Division 1:
1. NSLIU
2. NALSAR
3. NLUD (over NUJS because NLUD's coffers and admin are superior though placements at NUJS may be better)
4. NUJS
Division 2:
5. NLUJ
6. NLIU
7. GNLU
Division 3:
8. RGNLU Patiala
9.Jindal (again, over some NLUs because of pro-active admin and financial might)
10. RMNLU
11. HNLU
12. NUALS
13. NLUO
14. MNLU
15. HNLU
Division 4:
15. Symbiosis Pune
16. DSNLU
17, NLU Nagpur
18. Amity Noida
19. Symbiosis Noida
20. NLU Trichy
21. HPNLU
22. CNLU
23. NLU Assam
23. NLU Ranchi
Nalsar
Nujs
Nlu D
Nlu J
Gnlu
NLIU
-------
Hnlu
Jindal
RML
Rgnul
Nluo
NUALS
Symbi Pune
GLC Bombay
ILS
------------
Christ law
Amity law
School of Excellence in Law, Chennai
Nusrl
Cnlu
Symbi Noida
Tnnls
DSNLU
Mnlu
Nirma Law
--------
If you join any college below this list. You should [...].
Also, HNLU should be in the last division. It is really declining.
Hnlu has a decent alumni base and has higher merit candidates as compared to Jindal
Jindal has the best faculty but has very bad student quality.
Kian, i wouldn't mind if my comment is deleted or the last line redacted.
Thank you
Patel
Thus, Live Law is more balanced and giving RNGUL and NLUO their due.
http://www.livelaw.in/nalsar-nlud-rgnul-nluo-among-60-higher-education-institutions-granted-autonomy-ugc/
1. Please provide a defence for not applying for NAAC status.
2. Please note the report in today's TOI, which says: "allegations against Bhat included lack of transparency in allocation of funds, no role in academic initiatives, no infrastructural development, no accountability and transparency in administrative procedures, among others"
Thus, it is clear that CNLU students are not making a legal case against Bhat, but a moral and ethical case. So please stop posting garbage about lack of court conviction, no legal offence etc. It is the moral and ethical duty of a VC to improve infrastructure, improve faculty, improve the brand value and reputation of NUJS, be transparent and not hide from the media.
https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/patna/justice-retd-mishra-is-cnlus-interim-vc/articleshow/63403431.cms
Also, there is an underhand arrangement with Bar & Bench and some MSM media outlets where the review report will be selectively highlighted to exonerate Bhat and compel CNLU students to accept him.
Bhat will have a hard time at CNLU though. CNLU students are not weaklings like NUJS students.
If you look at Business Standard, they have pointed out that BCI regulates LLB but UGC regulates LLM. Autonomy means that specialised LLM courses can be offered. This is currently not possible as the UGC mandates some useless compulsory courses in the LLM. Now NALSAR and NLUD can offer specialist LLMs in financial law etc .
http://www.business-standard.com/article/current-affairs/varsities-faculties-divided-over-proposed-benefits-of-graded-autonomy-118032101337_1.html
Rao, Bhat and Saxena owe an explanation big time.
Ranbir Singh had made NALSAR 20 years ago, in a place which was really isolated from the main city, where nobody wanted to go. But NALSAR had the best of the faculty in its 1st 10 years of existence, thanx to Ranbir Singh. A lot of what NALSAR is perceived by the market is due to the efforts of Ranbir Singh. He had done these things when there was not much autonomy at his disposal. And in a similar fashion he'd created and nurtured NLUD.
On the other hand, Mustafa got to head NALSAR (which was already very prominent and highly ranked). He obviously wasn't faced with the difficulties encountered by Ranbir Singh during the initial days of NALSAR, he basically got everything on the platter. There's not even a single positive stuff that's done by him for NALSAR. NALSAR has deteriorated significantly in the past 5-6 years, mainly due to lack of any will to do any good for the institution. The same pessimistic attitude has taken a toll on the institution's potentiality. They never had funds for appropriately compensating the faculty, but they had and still continue to have generous funds for their own facilities and all other activities (which are definitely at the cost of academic credibility of the institution).
Many of the NALSAR alumni, who had, with a lot of positive energy, passion and hope for acdemics, joined NALSAR, ultimately decided to leave the place and joined other institutions out of utter disgust due to the unprofessional and malevolent attitude(s) of the folks running the show there.
Finally, attitude and will can create and recreate institutions and the lack thereof (coupled with ill-intentions in this case) can destroy even the best of the institutions. One has devoted his life for the institutions while the other has devoted the institution(s) (KIIT University, NLUO & NALSAR) for his life/career.
https://www.hindustantimes.com/india-news/nliu-to-check-8-000-degrees-of-past-13-years-for-irregularities/story-IMlFrMDTBPYbtMyTsjEaQK.html
I reiterate again, the news reported by HT is not true.