HRD Ministry: Education Institutions submitting False Data to be Penalised

In an attempt to make data and information more transparent and reliable, the Union HRD Ministry is considering penal provisions to discipline educational institutions that submit false data. The step will help audit the information and keep institutes in check.

Taking it up as one of the major reforms in the UGC, the Ministry is also planning to stop development grants for institutes that provide false data and statistics.

Sources close to the Ministry also informed that the institutes who have improved their performance will be given more autonomy to drive academic as well as business growth. The Ministry has been working to introduce the criteria for some time now, said the source.

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Institutes that perform better will be given more freedom to introduce new and improved courses to their curriculum. Performance of institutes will also be evaluated on the basis of the information provided by the institute that reflects academic features.

A meeting was held by the senior ministry officials to discuss that need of accurate data. The officials agreed that capturing data should be the greater focus of institutes instead of physical inspections.

Along with the introduction of a clear process for accreditation, the Ministry is also looking forward to implement a mechanism where institutions can be penalized for submitting fraudulent data.

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These penal provisions are still under consideration. However, if applied, these provisions will include the cancelation of development grants for an institution held responsible for submitting fraudulent data.