421 universities have not appointed ombudspersons; UGC issues list of defaulters

NEW DELHI: A total of 421 universities have not appointed ombudspersons for student grievance redressal, as per the University Grants Commission (UGC). The commission has issued a list of defaulting universities and asked them to complete the appointment.

UGC said that the universities were reminded several times to appoint the ombudsperson within 30 days of the notification of regulations on student grievance redressal. On December 5, the commission had once again reminded universities to appoint the ombudspersons by December 31 and said that it will publish names of defaulters after the deadline.

“ln the previous communication dated 5 December 2023, the universities were again requested to appoint Ombudsperson(s) and implement other provisions of UGC Regulations by 31 December 2023. It was also mentioned that the list of universities not complying with these requirements would be published on the UGC website,” the commission said in an official notice.

One central university, 256 state universities, 162 private universities, and two deemed-to-be universities are among the list of defaulters. UGC asked the universities to appoint the person and communicate the details for which it provided email IDs. Those universities which have already appointed the ombudsperson but have their name in the list can also contact through mail.

“The Universities and their affiliated Colleges are requested to display the particulars and contact details of the Ombudsperson(s) and Students Grievance Redressal Committee (SGRC) on their websites and at prominent places on their campuses,” UGC further said.

In April last year, the University Grants Commission asked all universities to form a committee for student grievance redressal and to appoint an ombudsperson as a part of the “Redressal of Grievance of Students Regulations 2023”. The role of the committee and ombudsperson will be to listen and redress complaints of students on issues related to admissions, fee, exams, scholarships, harassment, and more.