Probe ordered against 10 pvt varsities

Jaipur: The Rajasthan govt has ordered probes into 10 private universities over complaints of fake degree distribution and serious irregularities, Deputy Chief Minister and Higher Education minister Prem Chand Bairwa told the Assembly Friday. He said the state is also moving to set up a regulatory commission to check fraud in private higher education.Replying to supplementary questions by MLA Kalicharan Saraf, Bairwa said, "Upon receiving complaints of fake degrees and irregularities, the govt ordered inquiries against 10 private universities. Action is being taken strictly in accordance with the law."
He said OPJS University in Churu was dissolved on Jan 7, following allegations of large-scale fraud, and the Bikaner divisional commissioner was appointed administrator. "In the OPJS case, employees and middlemen found guilty of irregularities were arrested and sent to jail," he said, adding that the probe is ongoing. Action was also taken against officials of Mewar University, Chittorgarh, where staff allegedly involved in malpractice were arrested. Investigations against the remaining universities are underway. The universities under probe are OPJS University (Churu), Singhania University (Jhunjhunu), Sunrise University (Alwar), Shri JJT University (Jhunjhunu), Mewar University (Chittorgarh), Madhav University (Sirohi), Raffles University (Alwar), Nirwan University (Jaipur), University of Technology (Jaipur) and Jagdish Jhabarmal Tibrewala University (Jhunjhunu). Referring to irregularities in the Rajasthan Staff Selection Board's Physical Education Teacher Recruitment Exam 2022, Bairwa said letters were sent to the Special Operations Group for a comprehensive probe. "To ensure effective control and prevent irregularities in private universities, the formation of a Regulatory Commission is under active consideration. A draft will soon be prepared and sent to the Law Department for examination," he said.He added that the earlier draft of the Rajasthan Private Higher Education Institution Regulatory Authority Bill, 2023 was sent for legal evaluation, but a new committee is now constituted to make the proposed law more robust and aligned with the provisions of the National Education Policy 2020.