One of the oldest and premier educational institutions in the country, Fergusson College, Pune run by the Deccan Education Society (DES) has received the status of a university from the University Grants Commission.
Ravindrasinh Pardeshi, Principal, Fergusson College said that the college is yet to receive an official letter from UGC. Also, they are not sure whether it will be a state university status or a deemed university status .
According to the UGC officials, Fergusson College is one of the three institutes in the country which are yet to attain the status of a university and is set to receive a grant under the Centre’s Rashtriya Uchchatar Shiksha Abhiyaan (RUSA). The college has been an autonomous institute since 2016.
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The Ministry of Human Resource Development (MHRD) had asked all the autonomous college in the country who are looking forward to upgrading their status to that of a university to send their proposals by 19th April 2018. The meeting regarding the same took place between the officials of the RUSA and the UFC in New Delhi where three colleges were finalized including Fergusson College.
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DES Chairman Sharad Kunte further said that they are looking forward to having a clustered university as they have different courses on offer. The center and the state government will provide a grant of Rs. 55 crore to the college. As per the officials, 27 departments in Science and Arts schools will be streamlined into eight schools. They will also establish a center which will focus on personality and skill development.