Autonomy Status Likely for St. Stephen's College Next Week
- Once granted autonomy St. Stephen's College can introduce new courses, redesign its syllabus and fee structure.
- It can also prescribe admission rules as per the new policies and can even start self-financing courses.
St. Stephen’s College is likely to get an autonomous status at a meeting which is scheduled for next week. The UGC officials stated that this will allow India’s best-known college to have freedom in a range of areas such as from admission curriculum, tuition fees and introducing new courses.
The college had applied for an autonomous status last year after which an inspection was conducted on 10 and 11 May. The inspection was done by a committee set up to examine applications from colleges for grant of autonomous status. The committee inspected the infrastructure and other facilities of the colleges, interacted with staff, students, faculty and non-teaching staff.
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On the day of the inspection, all the formalities in this regard have been completed. A proposal to grant St. Stephen’s College with full autonomy is likely to be sent to UGC for clearance. Once approved, the Delhi University will be sent a letter informing them of the decision.
Also Read: List of Autonomous Colleges in India 2018
The UGC is likely to take up the proposal on 24 May 2018. If granted, St. Stephen's will be the first autonomous college in Delhi University. According to the UGC Guidelines for Autonomous Colleges, when a college is granted autonomy they can introduce new courses, restructure and redesign its syllabus and fee structure. An autonomous college can also prescribe admission rules as per the new policies and can even start self-financing courses. Colleges can also announce results on their own, issue migration certificates and mark sheets. However, the degree will be awarded by the university itself.