Mumbai: In a decision that could impact educational trusts running multiple institutions, the University of Mumbai’s Management Council has decided to withhold no objection certificates (NOCs) to colleges if any institution under the same management has outstanding fees, fines or other financial dues payable to the university.Universities grant NOCs for everything from faculty appointments in aided sections, or for seeking autonomy, university status, to increasing student intake, starting new programmes or even obtaining clearances from regulatory authorities. The decision has not gone down well with academics, who claimed that affiliated colleges should be treated as independent units. They said that no institution should be penalised for the default of another institution, even if it is run by the same management.Speaking to TOI, one of the management council members questioned how a college which has full potential to become autonomous or even has the capacity to increase intake within its permissible limit could be penalised for another defaulting college under the same management. University officials did not comment on the matter.A university official, however, said the measures were necessary as repeated reminders and follow-ups had failed to ensure compliance. “Regular non-compliance has compelled the university to take such a measure. There is no intention to trouble any institution,” the official said. Citing an example of law colleges, the official said the university had been pursuing them for two years to appoint approved faculty. “They gave us an undertaking last year to comply with the norms but failed to do so. The absence of approved faculty also creates other problems, including the lack of qualified teachers on boards of studies, which can lead to errors in question papers,” the official said.A college principal criticised the decision, asking, “Can NOCs be linked to fees and financial dues? Have regulatory guidelines been defined for this? How can such arbitrary decisions be taken by the council?” He said that if a college has fulfilled all the criteria for increasing its intake, appointing a faculty member or starting a new programme, the financial dues of another institution should not affect its eligibility for an NOC.Another principal said that such a decision cannot have any legal standing and will be struck down if any affected college moves court. “If a family member commits a crime, the entire family cannot be penalised. There could be cases of one stray due pending for any affiliated colleges due to some oversight,” said the principal.Over the past year, the university has tightened its scrutiny over colleges on several fronts. Even autonomous colleges are now being asked to seek ratification from the university’s academic council before introducing new courses. The examination department has also sought examination audit reports and imposed a condition that evaluation patterns must be aligned with university norms.Recently, the university has imposed hefty fines on colleges for failing to comply with norms regarding appointment of approved faculty members prescribed by regulatory bodies. Fines have also been levied on students and colleges over errors in enrolment forms, which subsequently led to discrepancies and confusion in student records. Fines were imposed in the past for not having NAAC accreditation.
