Autonomous colleges can add courses, seats without govt nod, ETEducation

Thiruvananthapuram: The Higher Education Department of Keralam has issued fresh guidelines for introducing new courses and increasing student intake in autonomous colleges in the state, ending the practice of renewing government approval every year and extending the validity of no-objection certificates (NOCs) to three years.Under the revised guidelines, autonomous colleges will no longer need prior government approval to introduce new courses, start self-financing courses or increase student intake. However, they should inform the government of the proposed changes in advance.Higher Education Minister Roji M John said the move was intended to promote academic autonomy and help institutions respond to changing educational and employment needs.The guidelines distinguish between aided and self-financing streams. Govt and aided colleges will continue to require government approval to introduce new courses under the aided stream or permanently increase seats in existing aided courses. No fee will be charged for such approval.Self-financing colleges and autonomous aided colleges, however, can introduce new courses under the self-financing stream and increase intake without prior govt approval. They will only have to inform the govt in advance about introducing new self-financing courses.In self-financing colleges, the respective universities or regulatory authorities can decide on increasing seats in existing courses without separate govt approval.Universities must report details of new courses introduced and seat increases to the government after completing admission procedures each academic year. Government approval will still be required for cases involving reconsideration or intervention in decisions taken by universities or regulatory authorities, matters requiring special approval at the university or government level, and issues not covered by existing rules.