All new and existing private universities in Uttar Pradesh will submit an undertaking their premises won't have any place for “anti-national activities”, mandates the draft of a new ordinance cleared by the Yogi Aditynath government.
The UP government has cleared the Uttar Pradesh Private Universities Ordinance (UPPUO), 2019, but there is no clarity on the definition of "anti-national" activity.
According to the government press release, national integration, secularism, social harmony, international goodwill, moral building and “desh bhakti” (patriotism) are among the objectives of universities under the UPPUO.
All private universities, including the existing 27, will be governed under a common law now. Until now, they had been functioning through separate acts and sanctions in the state.
Advertisement
Sidharth Nath Singh, a minister in the Yogi government, said the common act would override all the acts as a “controlling body” to monitor and regulate the private varsities, The Hindu reported.
The ordinance's objective is to “improve the functioning and academic standard of these universities.”
Among other things, the new ordinance also directs the universities to ensure a 50% waiver on the fee to a specific number of students from poor communities and have at least 75% faculty as permanent employees, News18 reported.
The new ordinance will help the state government keep a close watch on the financial and day-t0i-day functioning of these universities.
