Maharaja’s college speed up efforts to renew autonomous status

Maharaja’s College, Ernakulam, seeks renewal of autonomous status amid allegations of expired accreditation and misconduct.

The authorities of Maharaja’s College, Ernakulam, have resumed efforts to speed up renewal of the autonomous status of the institution after the Save University Campaign Committee (SUCC) alleged that the autonomous status accorded to the college by the University Grants Commission (UGC) had expired in 2020.

The college management has now requested the affiliating Mahatma Gandhi University (MGU) to follow-up on the application for renewal of autonomous status pending before the UGC.

The college was elevated to the status of of an autonomous college in the academic year 2014-15. However, the institution started functioning as an autonomous college from the academic year 2015-16 following protests by student and teacher organisations affiliated to then Left front against converting the college into an autonomous institution.

The SUCC had pointed out that the college was functioning without the autonomous status for the last three years as the UGC had granted autonomy till 2020. It had alleged that the affiliating MGU had been issuing degree certificates without a valid autonomous status for the college since 2021. The SUCC had alleged that a section of teachers and students had misused the lack of autonomous status to pursue their vested interests in the conduct of the exams, valuation and publication of results.

The college authorities have denied the allegations, while stating that the application for renewal of autonomy was submitted to the MGU after a visit by the National Assessment and Accreditation Council in 2021. “As per the rules, the college has to submit the application for renewal of autonomous status to the affiliating university. The follow-up with the UGC is done at the university level. Steps had already been taken to fast-track the process of renewal and it is expected to be ready within a few days. The renewal of autonomous status will be done with retrospective effect for five years from the year 2020-21,” they said.