UGC warns students not to take admission in two ‘self-styled’ alternative medicines institutes

NEW DELHI: The University Grants Commission (UGC) informed that two universities have violated the UGC Act 1956. The commission has warned students to not take admission in Open International University for Alternative Medicines and National Board of Alternative Medicines.

The UGC said that the two universities have been offering degree programmes “in gross violation of the UGC Act 1956”.

As per the UGC Act 1956 Section 22, “The right to conferring or granting degrees shall be exercised only by a university established or incorporated by or under a Central Act, Provincial Act or State Act or a institution deemed to be a university under Section 3 or an institution specially empowered by an Act of Parliament of confer or grant degrees.”

The UGC informed that both Open International University for Alternative Medicines and National Board of Alternative Medicines are not empowered to award degrees as per the UGC guidelines.

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Section 23 of the UGC Act 1956 states that no institution, whether a corporate body or not, other than the universities recognised will be allowed to use the word “university” associated with its name.

It further cautioned students, parents to not take admission in these two “self-styled” institutes as it “may jeopardize the career”.

In August last year, the UGC published a list of fake universities state-wise and warned the students to not pursue any course from the universities as it is not recognised by the commission. United Nations University, Vocational University Delhi, Indian Institute of Alternative Medicine Kolkata were some of the institutes under the fake university list.

It also cautioned students against taking admission in prohibited programmes offered in Open and Distance Learning (ODL) mode. The official notice said that nearly 20 programmes, including engineering, architecture, medicine, law, have been unapproved by the UGC to be offered in online mode.