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October 10, 2018
India's University Grants Commission (UGC) Cracks the Whip on Universities; Directs Each to Streamline its Admission Process and Disclose its True Worth to the Public, Or Face the Prescribed Punishment
Photo: The Chairman, University Grants Commission of India (UGC), Prof. D. P. Singh; Minister of State for Human Resource Development, Dr. Satya Pal Singh; and the Union Minister for Human Resource Development, Prakash Javadekar, releasing the Higher Educational Profile 2017-18, at the National Conference of Vice-Chancellors and Directors, in New Delhi on July 27, 2018. [File Photo]
New Delhi, October 10, 2018 — India’s University Grants Commission (UGC) is cracking the whip on universities by issuing stern directions on how they should treat the Admission Seekers. This was disclosed by the Minister for Human Resource Development, Prakash Javadekar, at a press conference in New Delhi today. The University Grants Commission (UGC) would issue a Notification on refund of fees and non-retention of original certificates by Higher Education Institutions to facilitate students in their admission.
The University Grants Commission Notification on Refund of Fees and Non-Retention of Original Certificates is being brought out for the facilitation of the students. Now no student will be required to submit an original academic and personal certificates at the time of submission of admission form and Students’ will get the refund of fee from the Institution if they withdraw their admission from the programme. This notification shall apply to Under Graduate, Post Graduate and Research Programmes run by Universities included under Section 2(f) of the UGC Act, all Colleges under their affiliating domain and Institutions declared as Deemed to be Universities under Section 3 of the UGC Act.
Salient features of the Notification:
• The HEIs (Higher Education Institutions) can charge fees in advance only for the semester/ year in which a student wants to engage in academic activities. Collecting advance fees for the entire programme of study is strictly prohibited.
• The institute will be required to refund the fees, in case a student withdraws from the programme, in the following manner:
- 100%: in case a student decides to withdraw 15 days or more before the formally notified last date of admission. Not more than 5% of the fees paid by the student, subject to a maximum of Rs. 5000, will be deducted as processing charges.
- 90%: in case a student decides to withdraw within 15 days before the formally notified last date of admission.
- 80%: in case a student chooses to withdraw within 15 days after the officially announced last date of admission.
- 50%: in case a student decides to withdraw between 16 days and 30 days after the formally declared last date of admission.
- NIL: in case a student decides to withdraw after 30 days of the formally notified last date of admission.
- The entire caution money and security deposit, which are not part of the fees chargeable, shall be refunded in full.
- The HEIs shall make the refund of fees within 15 days of receipt of a written application from a student.
No student will be required to submit an original academic and personal certificates like mark sheets, and school leaving certificates at the time of submission of admission form. In case it is needed, the institution concerned will only ensure verification of the same with the original certificates and these shall be returned to the students immediately. No institution can take an original document into their custody.
• No HEI can make it mandatory for applicants to purchase the institutional prospectus at any time during the time of the study.
• To make an applicant choose an institution wisely, all HEIs will be required to disclose on their website and prospectus the following information:
- General Status of the institution.
- Affiliation, Accreditation of the institution.
- Physical assets and amenities.
- Course-wise sanctioned intake of students.
- Various types of fees payable for different programmes.
- Total expenses payable for an entire curriculum.
- Last date of admission.
- Details of the faculty.
- Members of Governing Bodies and minutes of the meeting of bodies.
- Sources of income.
- Financial situation.
- Any other handy information about its functioning.
• All HEIs will be mandatorily required to have a Grievance Redressal Mechanism (GRM), according to the provisions of the UGC (Grievance Redressal) Regulations, 2012. This GRM shall be available on the HEI website, and the HEIs will be required to ensure that all grievance received are addressed within 30 days.
• This notification provides for initiation of the following strict punitive actions by the Commission against defaulting HEIs:
- Withdrawal of declaration of fitness to receive grants from UGC.
- Withholding of grants allocated to the HEI.
- Declaration of HEI as ineligible to receive any assistance from UGC for General or Special Programmes.
- Display of notice in newspapers & media and on the website of the Commission regarding non-compliance by the HEI to ensure that the general public, including candidates seeking admission in that HEI, are well informed.
- Recommending to the affiliating university for withdrawal of affiliation, in case of a College/ Institute.
- Recommending to the Central Government for withdrawal of Deemed to be University declaration, in case of an Institution Deemed to be University.
- Recommending to the appropriate State Government for proper, necessary action in case of University established or incorporated under a State Act.
Source: Ministry of Human Resource Development, Government of India.
|GlobalGiants.Com|
उचà¥à¤š शिकà¥à¤·à¤£ संसà¥à¤¥à¤¾à¤¨ अगर दाखिला वापस लेने वाले विदà¥à¤¯à¤¾à¤°à¥à¤¥à¤¿à¤¯à¥‹à¤‚ को उनकी फीस नहीं लौटाते हैं तो उनके खिलाफ सखà¥à¤¤ कारà¥à¤°à¤µà¤¾à¤ˆ होगी।
— Prakash Javadekar (@PrakashJavdekar) October 10, 2018
अब से किसी à¤à¥€ शिकà¥à¤·à¤£ संसà¥à¤¥à¤¾à¤¨ को विदà¥à¤¯à¤¾à¤°à¥à¤¥à¤¿à¤¯à¥‹à¤‚ के दसà¥à¤¤à¤¾à¤µà¥‡à¤œà¥‹à¤‚ की मूल पà¥à¤°à¤¤à¤¿ रखने का अधिकार नहीं होगा ।@ugc_india @AICTE_INDIA @PIBHindi #FEEREFUND pic.twitter.com/hE7iU5p0D2
Edited & Posted by the Editor | 4:24 PM | View the original post
World Investment Forum, Geneva, 22-26 October 2018 — Heads of State, Private Sector and International Leaders to Boost Investment in Sustainable Development
Photos: Students from Chinese university during the visit to UNCTAD. Group photo in front of the Place des Nations, at the UN’s European Headquarters in Geneva, Switzerland. August 16, 2018. Images provided by & Copyright © UNCTAD.
Geneva, 9 October 2018 - More than 5,000 participants from 160 countries will meet in Geneva to thrash out major new investment-for-development initiatives at UNCTAD’s World Investment Forum 2018 in the Palais des Nations, Geneva, Switzerland from 22-26 October.
The high-level conference comes amid mounting disquiet about declining investment flows and their impact on efforts to meet the ambition of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, adopted by the international community three years ago.
“Global flows of foreign direct investment fell by 23% in 2017,” United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said. “Cross-border investment in developed and transition economies dropped sharply, while growth was near zero in developing economies. With only a very modest recovery predicted for 2018, this negative trend is a long-term concern for policymakers worldwide, especially for developing countries.”
Private sector investment in developing countries, totaling $3.9 trillion a year, is needed to generate economic activity to meet the Sustainable Development Goals - the core of the 2030 Agenda -according to UNCTAD research. Current levels leave an investment gap of some $2.5 trillion.
Marking its 10th anniversary, the biennial World Investment Forum remains the premier venue to forge partnerships between investment and development stakeholders to close this gap.
A unique gathering of high-level players from the global investment-development community, the forum provides an opportunity to hold an open dialogue, brainstorm solution-oriented initiatives and foster global alliances to advance prosperity for all. This year’s event comprises some 60 functions, including three summits, five ministerial roundtables, private-sector led sessions and several awards ceremonies.
Besides giving participants a chance to spotlight priorities for attracting and channeling investment that will drive sustainable development, the forum sessions will also focus on transformative actions and innovative financing modes for growth, such as blockchain, sustainability bonds, and blended finance.
Speakers from business and special guests include more than 30 top executives of multinationals, among them Aviva, De Beers, Coca-Cola, ContourGlobal, Jumia, Lavazza, PwC, Siemens Financial Services, UBS, and the heads of stock exchanges including those in Bombay, Johannesburg, Luxembourg, Nasdaq Nordic, SIX and Shenzen, as well as the leaders of sovereign wealth and pension funds.
Fourteen heads of state and government have confirmed they will attend, including those from Armenia, Bangladesh, Botswana, Cambodia, the Central African Republic, Kenya, Lesotho, the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Malawi, Mongolia, Montenegro, Namibia, Sierra Leone, and Switzerland.
More than fifty ministers from developed and developing countries and 21 heads of international organizations will join them.
In addition to United Nations entities, 50 other organizations will be at the event, including the Commonwealth, the International Labour Organization, the Inter-Parliamentary Union, the International Olympic Committee, the International Organization of Securities Commissions, the International Telecommunication Union, the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, the World Economic Forum, the World Trade Organization and the World Bank Group.
These partnerships have generated exciting new content for this year’s participants, including an in-depth look at the relationship between sport and development, co-hosted with the International Olympic Committee and, on the annual United Nations Day, 24 October, a session on the role of investment in peace and security.
Five independent tracks will run in parallel with the main forum, with a special programme for parliamentarians, a multidisciplinary academic conference, an investment village, the 35th anniversary session of the Intergovernmental Working Group of Experts on International Standards of Accounting and Reporting (ISAR), and the 2018 UNCTAD Youth Forum, taking youth entrepreneurship as its theme.
Previous World Investment Forums took place in Accra, Ghana (2008), Xiamen, China (2010), Doha, Qatar (2012), Geneva, Switzerland (2014) and Nairobi, Kenya (2016).
Source: United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD), Geneva
|GlobalGiants.Com|
Trade Wars: When Elephants Fight. UNCTAD. https://t.co/d85QH2t3aM via @YouTube
— GlobalGiants.Com (@GlobalGiants) October 9, 2018
Edited & Posted by the Editor | 2:16 AM | View the original post
