Jiwaji University broke own rules while granting affiliation to pvt colleges; faces teacher shortage: CAG

Jiwaji University in Gwalior, Madhya Pradesh, has granted affiliation to private colleges without checking they met all norms, an audit of its functioning by the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) has revealed. The Gwalior University also withheld details of its inspection teams from the auditors and waited months for colleges to furnish documents when violation of the prescribed timeline ought to have got their applications rejected.

Meanwhile, government colleges affiliated to the Gwalior university continue to face gaps in basic infrastructure, including inadequate classrooms, laboratories and computer facilities, unfinished building projects and poorly-equipped hostels, the CAG report, published last week, says.

The CAG examined the functioning of MP Jiwaji University and selected affiliated colleges and departments over three years – 2021-22 to 2023-24. The audit flagged shortcomings in academic administration, examination, staffing and financial management. By the end of that period, Jiwaji University Gwalior had 449 affiliated colleges, including 77 government colleges, with around 1.16 lakh students enrolled in affiliated colleges in 2023-24. The university itself had 3,661 students and was accredited A++ by the National Assessment and Accreditation Council in 2023.

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Jiwaji University breaks own college affiliation rules

Over the four years between 2021 and 2024, Jiwaji University granted affiliation to 80 colleges, of which, records of 40 were provided to the auditors.

The CAG found a shortage of land – the norms require a minimum of two acres in urban areas and five acres in rural – and other basic amenities, including library books, laboratories and equipment, sports facilities, canteen, healthcare facilities, parking as well as safety and security measures.

It found that the university had violated its own statutes while constituting inspection committees for these colleges. Although 49 inspections were conducted in 30 private colleges, more than half the inspection reports – 28 – did not mention the designations or subject expertise of the members. Nine government colleges and one private college had not been inspected, the audit found.

The CAG audit also revealed that the appointment of teachers and principals in 23 private colleges were made by the management committees of the colleges instead of selection committees formed as per university statutes . In six colleges, only 18 out of 75 teachers were appointed through the prescribed process.

“All these colleges were granted affiliation despite violating the provisions,” the CAG report states.

Affiliation was also delayed in the case of 29 of 31 colleges, with delays ranging from 49 to 417 days. The university attributed the delays to colleges failing to submit documents on time and maintained that from 2025-26, affiliations are being granted according to the prescribed schedule. The CAG observed that “the university was required to reject applications that do not comply with the prescribed timelines.”

The audit further found that the university repeatedly granted conditional affiliation to 25 colleges, which the CAG said violated university statutes. It also found that 31 private colleges were operating without governing bodies, weakening academic and administrative oversight.

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Jiwaji University Colleges: Few teachers, lectures

The CAG found that several government colleges affiliated to Jiwaji University Gwalior were unable to meet prescribed teaching requirements. Apart from flagging the acute teacher shortage and over-dependence on guest teachers, it also noted the poor management of attendance and teaching records.

At Government College Basai, Datia, 13 guest faculty members were appointed for 45 students across the arts and science streams, but attendance records and teaching diaries were not maintained. Despite this, Rs 34.78 lakh was paid as honorarium.

The college also paid Rs 6.96 lakh to two guest faculty members for commerce, despite no students being enrolled in the stream, the CAG said.

At Government College Badouda in Sheopur, undergraduate courses in arts and science began in 2023-24. Due to the absence of regular teachers, faculty members from two other colleges were arranged to teach students.

The auditors observed that this resulted in just 12 to 37 lectures per paper, against the prescribed requirement of 90 lectures per paper. Plus, colleges did not adhere to the stipulated lecture duration either. Of the 22 sampled colleges, 17 did not allot one-hour lectures; at some, lectures ended in just 40 or 45 minutes.

Five of 10 students participating in a “beneficiary survey” told the CAG their Jiwaji University syllabus was not completed.

If some colleges were deploying teachers for non-existent students, at others, teachers were burdened with massive classes with hundreds in them.

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At Government College Pichhore in Shivpuri, the CAG found teacher-student ratios ranging from 1:165 to 1:276 in arts and 1:61 to 1:81 in science, against University Grants Commission-set norms of 1:30 and 1:25, respectively.

“In history, a single teacher handled both UG and PG classes with 418 to 1,448 students, indicating severe shortage,” the audit said.

Jiwaji University Gwalior: Teacher vacancies

The CAG found a major shortage of teaching staff at both the university and affiliated colleges.

At the university, of the 128 sanctioned teaching posts, only 36 were filled, leaving 92 posts (72% of the total) vacant.

Of the 702 sanctioned teaching posts in the test-checked colleges, 295 (42%) were vacant. As for non-teaching staff, 34% posts in the university and 49% in the test-checked colleges were vacant. “To overcome this shortage of regular staff, the university engaged guest faculties and contractual teachers,” the report states.

The audit noted that the key administrative positions were also vacant, such as finance officer and deputy registrar (since 2021), as well as assistant registrar, university engineer and dean of student welfare (over five years) Out of 22 colleges examined, the audit found that 19 colleges had no principals.

Gwalior university infrastructure gaps

The audit found gaps in basic facilities across the colleges. Eight colleges lacked computer facilities; 12 were without generators; five lacked internet facilities; and six were missing librarians.

Government Shrimant Madhavrao Scindia College, Shivpuri, had no computer lab and students were completing the computer science practicals on the teacher’s laptop or computer.

Government College Karahal, Sheopur, has been functioning in just three rooms in a Government Model Higher Secondary School building since 2018-19. The audit noted that three BA classes across seven subjects were scheduled simultaneously, “making it impractical to conduct lectures for all classes with two available rooms”. The classrooms also lacked furniture and blackboards in sufficient quantities. The college principal told the audit team in 2025 that they used the school furniture during exams.

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Government Law College, Shivpuri, was sanctioned six hectares of land and Rs 7.6 crore for a building in 2022. But construction had not begun even in February 2025. The law school was functioning from the premises of another government college.

The audit also flagged inadequate hostel and campus facilities at the university and affiliated colleges. The university operates four hostels which lacked posts for wardens and assistant wardens, while two hostels also lacked basic facilities such as generators, CCTV cameras, security, study rooms and RO water.

MP Jiwaji University law colleges without BCI approval

The audit found that four colleges running law courses had not obtained Bar Council of India (BCI) approval before admitting students. Even in March 2025, BCI approval for the 2023-24 academic session was pending for three government law colleges in Datia, Gwalior and Shivpuri, where 238 students had been admitted.

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The CAG report also flags extreme delays in exams and results for its distance education programmes. Jiwaji University results were delayed for over a year for some during the period under review.

Poor financial planning

The CAG also flagged gaps in Jiwaji University’s financial planning, fund utilisation and internal controls.

A major concern was the utilisation of funds released for Centres of Excellence. The Madhya Pradesh Higher Education Department sanctioned Rs 16.49 crore in 2019, of which Rs 8.35 crore was released. By December 2024, the university had used only Rs 2.40 crore, leaving Rs 5.95 crore of the released amount, unutilised.

The audit also found that three zoology instruments worth Rs 35.20 lakh had not been used since October 2023, while two botany instruments costing Rs 25.60 lakh had not been put to use because essential glassware and chemicals were unavailable. The CAG said this indicated deficiencies in planning and utilisation of funds.