Comprehensive Essay on the Types of University in India

A University can be established only by an Act of cither Union Parliament or a State legislature and enjoys internal autonomy. There are at present more than 270 Universities, Deemed Universities and Institutions of National importance operating under Acts passed by the Central or State legislatures. Twelve of these universities are incorporated under acts of Central legislature. They are also financed by the Central Government and, therefore, are known as the Central Universities.

(i) Affiliating Universities:

These universities recognise external colleges offering instruction in their courses of studies. They are diffused over a large area and keep within their fold scattered colleges.

(ii) The Unitary Universities:

A Unitary University has been defined as “one usually localised in a single centre, in which the whole of the teaching is conducted teachers appointed by or under the control of the university.” It has full control over its administration, teachers and techniques.

(iii) The Federal Universities:

The main characteristics of a University of this Type are:

(1) The university and its constituent colleges are situated in close proximity of each- other.

(2) Each constituent college is actively engaged in a work of a University standard.

(3) Each constituent college is prepared to forge some measure of its autonomy in order to share in and contribute to the type and Government of the university as a whole.

(4) The actual teaching as tar as possible, be provided by the constituent colleges under the guidance of the university.

The University Education Commission was appointed by the Government of India ‘to report on Indian University Education and suggest improvements and extensions that may be desirable to suit present and future requirements of the country.’ The scope of the enquiry was set forth in the Resolution of the Government of India. Ministry of Education, dated 4 November 1948. The Commission was inaugurated on 6th December, 1948. It submitted its report in August 1949. Dr. S. Radhakrishnan, Spalding Professor of Eastern Religions and Ethics at the University of Oxford was the Chairman. The Commission made recommendations on almost all aspects of University education. Its recommendations are discussed separately dealing with different aspects of university education.

State Governments should deal with the universities with understanding and imagination and place adequate financial resources at their disposal to enable them to carry out their obligations in an efficient way. It would also be desirable if they seek the advice of the UGC in the matter.

Addressing the 44th Annual Convention of Delhi University, Dr. L. Mudaliar criticized those ‘ ‘who feel that it is their duty to direct, control and otherwise supervise the working of a university” and said, “if today it is considered that a university should be treated in the same manner as a department of government or a local body and if a university is to be controlled by the transient personages in authority that rise and fall in a democracy, the future not only of the university but also the country is at stake.”