UGC Issues Guidelines For Higher Education Institutions On Public Self-Disclosure
The University Grant Commission (UGC) approved the Guidelines on Public Self-Disclosure by Higher Education Institutions, in 2024 in its 580th meeting. The guidelines are per the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020. The NEP 2020, emphasizes a transparent self-disclosure by Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) and makes the public self-disclosure by HEIs a fundamental principle.
As per the guidelines, the Higher Education institutions shall be responsible and accountable to the stakeholders by ensuring transparency via self-disclosure of all relevant records. To ensure this, all HEIs are requested to maintain a functional website to provide relevant information that is easily accessible to everyone without any need for registration or login. “The disclosure made on the website shall have unrestricted access without any requirement of login/registration and shall have a ‘search’ facility for easy access.”, UGC said.
The commission asserted that the availability of information in the public domain is one of the major pillars to ensure accountability.
UGC Updates:
UGC letter regarding the Guidelines on Public Self-Disclosure by Higher Education Institutions, 2024.
All HEIs are requested to maintain a functional website to provide relevant information that is easily accessible to everyone without any need for registration or… pic.twitter.com/heBK4kXFXJ
— UGC INDIA (@ugc_india) June 11, 2024
The decision came in response to the stakeholders who desired to seek information from the HEIs. The UGC said, “Stakeholders in the higher education system, such as students, parents, research scholars, prospective students, regulatory bodies, accreditation agencies, alumni and the public, desire to seek information from the websites of HEIs”.
The higher education regulatory authority requested HEIs to take necessary measures to follow the guidelines to ensure a fair and transparent system of education for the growth of the Indian education system.
According to the guidelines, the HEIs may provide information related to the following on their websites under various categories – about HEIs, administration, academics, admission and fee, research, student life, alumni, information corner, contact and gallery.
