Some of the other observations of the committee:

Family-run institutions

Since there are no eligibility criteria to judge private investors’ suitability to foray into the higher education sector, apart from their registration as a charitable trust or society, this “lacuna” has been “exploited”. “Trusts or societies that have been formed largely consist of immediate family members — some of whom have little or no educational background — with some exceptions,” says the report, adding that there are allegations that funds used to run such institutions are either “unaccounted wealth from business” and “political enterprises” or “from capitation fees”. It says the practice of conferring academic designations such as chancellor, vice-chancellor, and pro vice-chancellor on members of the family must be done away with.

Appointment of teachers

“In many private educational institutions, the appointment of teachers is made at the lowest possible cost. They are treated with scant dignity, thereby turning away competent persons from opting for teaching profession...,” the report says. “There are terrible instances of faculty being asked to work in more than one institution belonging to the management; their salary being paid only for nine months; actual payments being much less than the amount signed for... compelling them to award pass marks to favourites.”

Deemed universities

“Between 1956 and 1990, only 29 institutions were granted deemed university status. In the last 15 years, 63 institutions were declared deemed universities and in the last five years, 36 institutions, excluding RECs, have been notified as deemed universities. What has raised concern is the fact that the majority of these institutes are not established with any educational purpose and they end up only deluding the students. The granting of (deemed) status should be put on hold till unambiguous and rational guidelines are evolved.”

Private universities

“The behaviour of some private universities has become a matter of serious concern — many of them professional colleges that got approval from regulatory bodies for university status. Immediately thereafter, they started admitting five to six times their intake capacity, without a corresponding increase in faculty strength or academic infrastructure,” the report says. “The classes were conducted at strange hours like a factory.... The students who paid huge capitation fees felt cheated. ”

Political interference

Interference from various political or commercial vested interests in the functioning of the universities comes in different forms, the report says. “It touches all aspects of higher education and involves improper admission of students, pressures in selection of teachers, manipulation in appointment of senior functionaries like vice-chancellors, registrars and deans, purchase of equipment and allotment of construction contracts and so on.... It has resulted in a situation where it has become easy for some of those in power and in the bureaucracy to curtail the autonomy as the academic community has proved itself to be unworthy of practicing it,” the report says.