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Beware of fake degrees from India…


Indian higher education scenario is turning into more and more vibrant year after year. Though excellence in higher education proliferates and reaches new highs, the fake degree business also thrives.

Lately, AICTE (All India Council of Technical Education), the accreditation body of Government of India which approves technical colleges in India has unearthed an array of fake institutions which churn out fake degrees into the education market. AICTE says India's capital city, Delhi, has highest number of illegal technical institutes and fake management degree business.

According to data provided by the All India Council for Technical Education ( AICTE), as many as 75 institutes in Delhi are enrolling students under technical programmes without its approval. And more than half of them offer degree or diploma programmes in management studies. Maharashtra falls just behind Delhi in the dubious degree biz. Both, Delhi and Maharashtra, together account for 45 per cent of all the total unapproved institutes in India.

Andhra Pradesh and West Bengal have the second and third highest number of unapproved institutions, respectively.

The AICTE is the only authority empowered to grant recognition to technical courses run by different universities and institutes in the country. There are close to 3,500 management institutes alone approved by the AICTE, of which 3,000 offer MBA programmes and 500 offer diplomas. According to the Council regulations, any academic programme related to the field of architecture and town planning, management studies, engineering and information technology, pharmacy, hotel management and catering require AICTE approval.

The Council can do little other than give wide publicity to the fact that such institutes are not approved by it. It uploads the names of such institutes on its official website, and issues newspaper advertisements from time to time. The names of all the 348 unapproved institutes are available on www. aicte- india. org . Action against erring institutes has to be taken by the respective state administrations.

Questions on AICTE approval are dodged with the excuse that the institutes offer degrees through a tie- up with either state or central universities recognised by the University Grants Commission ( UGC). But this is a lie. A UGC or AICTE approved university can only offer technical programmes for its own students and not extend this approval to other private institutes.

But we have noticed this is one of the popular methods used by small private institutes to enroll students and make them believe that their courses are legitimate,” S. S. Mantha, chairman, AICTE said.

The K. R. Mangalam Global Institute of Management in Greater Kailash, for instance, informed this reporter ( posing as an MBA aspirant) that their MBA degree did not require AICTE approval as it was offered by Mysore University, which is UGC recognised. Similarly, the FOSTIIMA Business School in South Extension, a five- year- old institute that boasts being set up by seven alumni of IIM Ahmedabad, also said its MBA degree was legal as it was offered through a tieup with Pondicherry University.

Why is the AICTE approval important for an institute offering technical courses?

Approval by AICTE grants legitimacy to a technical course.

Without it, your diploma or degree will not hold any value in the job market.

Which technical programs are generally required to get the AICTE approval?

Academic programmes related to architecture and town planning, management studies, engineering and information technology, pharmacy, hotel management and catering require AICTE approval.

How can one find out if an institute is approved by AICTE?

Every year, the Council provides wide publicity to its list of unapproved institutes. This list is also available on their official website.

www. aicte- india. org

Does AICTE initiate any action against illegal institutes?

The AICTE also asks the state governments, from time to time, to take action against the erring institutes.





How to earn a seat in Indian B-school?

Comments

  1. UnknownMarch 24, 2012 at 11:18 AM

    Hi Steve, where r u from? How do you interested in higher education stories? Are u related with higher education?

    ReplyDelete
  2. parkerApril 10, 2012 at 3:00 AM

    You are very true there are lots of fake university in india. Most of the time acses come of these university, students must be aware while getting any degree.
    Psychology

    ReplyDelete

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