MDA cabinet approves Bill to regulate private universities

Syllad | The Rising MeghalayaSeptember 5, 2019

SHILLONG: The state Cabinet on Thursday approved the proposal to repeal the Meghalaya Private Universities Regulation of Establishment and Maintenance of Standard Act, 2012. 

“A proposal was placed to repeal the old Act and to enact a new one, which would be known as Meghalaya Private Universities Regulation of Establishment and Maintenance of Standard bill 2019,” Home Minister James K Sangma told reporters after the meeting held here on Thursday. 

The Bill will be placed before the autumn session of the Assembly which will commence from tomorrow. 

He said this was in view of the need to make the Act more robust as it does not have enough teeth (to ensure proper regulation of the private universities) at present.

“At the same time it will ensure conformity with the observations of the Supreme Court,” he said. 

Asked on universities having off campuses, Sangma said the state government may take appropriate action against an off campus centre, study centre, regional centre and other similar centres by whatever name called of any Private Universities set up on the strength of an Act passed by the state legislature other than the Meghalaya State Legislature. 

“There have been in the past where certain universities have awarded there degrees from other campuses so here all degrees awarded by private universities shall only be issued by its main campus. So we will give more teeth to this just to ensure these universities act in a more responsible manner,” he said. 

He said a certain clause which states that any universities having found not setting their campus not having started for the more than 2 years the lease, agreement for the land will be taken back. In other words they will not be allowed to continue. 

In view of this decision, the cabinet has also approved 8 private universities amendment Bills. These include: the CMJ university Act 2009, the William Carey Act 2005, the Martin Luther Christian University Act 2005, the University of Technology Act 2010, The University of Science and Technology Act No 6 of 2008, the ICFAI University Act 2005, Mahatma Gandhi Act 2010 and Techno Global University Act No 5 of 2008.