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Gagan K Teja
Tribune News Service
Patiala, February 15
The University Grants Commission has granted Category-I status to Guru Nanak Dev University (GNDU). It got a NAAC (National Assessment and Accreditation Council) score of 3.51. Panjab University and Punjabi University are in Category-II with a score of 3.35 and 3.34, respectively.
The Amritsar university can now start departments, courses, schools, off-campus facilities and distance education programmes and hire foreign faculty without UGC approval.
According to the notification of the UGC (Categorisation of Universities Only) Grant of Graded Autonomy Regulation 2018, issued on February 18, universities with a score above 3.5 fall in Category-I. Those with a score from 3.26 to 3.5 are in Category-II. The rest are in Category-III.
As per privileges granted to Category-I universities, GNDU shall be deemed to be under Section 12B of the University Grants Commission Act, 1956, and no inspections by the UGC will be required for the same.
Vice-Chancellor Dr Jaspal Sandhu said the UGC had recognised GNDU’s hard work and given greater autonomy. “We will do our best to improve our performance further and make GNDU the best in the country,” he said.
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