Varsities bound to follow norms

[sajiv]

Varsities bound to follow norms

CHENNAI: The All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE) has made it clear before the Madras High Court that universities are bound to follow norms and standards laid down by the Council in technical education. Otherwise, there will be a dichotomy in standards, which will be even opposed to common sense, the Council stated in written submissions filed by counsel N. Murali Kumaran on a petition by the Association of Management of Private Colleges, Coimbatore.

The petitioner contended that Anna University - Coimbatore could not conduct courses other than those that fell under the purview of the AICTE Act. The university was giving affiliation to arts and science courses in engineering colleges, which fell under the purview of Bharathiyar University.

The AICTE submitted that it was an admitted fact that Anna University-Coimbatore and Bharathiyar University had jurisdiction over the same areas.

It could not be the intention of Tamil Nadu while enacting the Anna University -Coimbatore Act to create a parallel university to Bharathiyar University. Anna University could not give affiliation to engineering courses in the absence of AICTE approval.

By merely changing the nomenclature, the university could not permit colleges to run technical courses, the Council said.