UGC also has stripped 11 more colleges from its College with Potential for Excellence
(CPE) position.
The University Grants Commission (UGC) has stripped as many
as 13 colleges of the status of College with Potential for Excellence (CPE).
This includes two sought-after colleges of Delhi University. Gargi College and Sri
Venkateswara College, which were granted the status in 2004-05, were struck off
the CPE list.
The decision was taken at the 480th meeting of the commission in August 2011. It
decided to revoke the status of the 13 colleges on the grounds that they had not
been accredited or re-accredited by the National Assessment and Accreditation Council
(NAAC), Bangalore, and that they didn't fulfill the eligibility condition despite
a reminder by the UGC.
Calling the decision "unfortunate", the Gargi College principal, Meera Ramachandran,
said: "It is unfair to punish a college for something which is not in its control.
Colleges have not been empowered by the university to go for accreditation on their
own. During the second instalment of the grant, then vice-chancellor professor Deepak
Pental intervened and helped us get the grant. It is a loss for the college as we
have lived up to the title and started various projects."
While these colleges were granted the status in the tenth plan period, these conditions
have been made a prerequisite for applying for CPE status since the eleventh plan
period. CPE is awarded to educational institutions that have proved their potential
for excellence through quality teaching, research, transparency in admission, good
infrastructure, etc. The colleges also get a grant of anything between 
35 lakh
to 1.5 crore to help them improve their infrastructure. Despite calls and messages,
the DU vice-chancellor, Professor Dinesh Singh could not be contacted.
Courtesy: Times of India
