Prominent management and engineering institutes in the state including Pune-based International Institute of Information Technology (IIIT), the Indian Institute of Personnel Management (IIPM), ICFAI and Tilak Maharashtra Vidyapeeth have come under the All India Council of Technical Education (AICTE) scanner, with the council declaring them as “totally unapproved”.

A list of 77 management and 16 engineering colleges prepared by the AICTE cites various undergraduate and postgraduate courses that are being operated by these institutes without the recognition of the council. AICTE is an apex regulatory body for technical education, including professional courses in business, hotel management, architecture and engineering.

According to the AICTE Act, 1987, “no technical institution can be started without prior approval of the AICTE”. Moreover, even if the institution is government aided, or is affiliated to a university, AICTE sanction is required before starting any new course or programme, as well as before effecting any variation or increase in student intake.

Such incidents come to light through advertisements of these institutes in newspapers. “The AICTE routinely scans such advertisements, which are then forwarded to the legal cell. The legal cell verifies the approval status of these institutes. If they are not approved, then show cause notices are sent to them, asking them to obtain AICTE recognition, or close down,” sources said.

In November 2005 and February 2006, the AICTE had issued public notices in newspapers warning students and parents about bogus institutions operating without AICTE approval. “However, in spite of this, many institutions continued to operate,” sources said, adding show cause notices were now being sent to the institutes included in the list.

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