Tiruchi: Although the students, with the decision of the Ministry of Human Resource and Development (HRD) to withdraw the “deemed university” status from 44 universities across the nation brought them to the no man’s land but the Association of University Teachers (AUT) on the contrary, has welcomed the move.

"Our stand upon the high-handed attitude of the academic community that the governments, universities and University Grants Commission (UGC) have been conferring upon approving the deemed status of the universities has been justified," said P. Jaya Gandhi, State president of AUT and national secretary of All India Federation of University and College Teachers' Organisations in a press release.

The release pointed out the follies of the private institutions who were quick to take un-due advantage of any new proposal of the UGC which exploited unwary parents and gullible students. It also held the UGC responsible for trying out new academic experiments without consulting the academic community and organizations.

The large number of students in undergraduate, postgraduate and research programmes enrolled in these institutions brought Dr. Gandhi a shock as she felt that these students were taken for a ride.

The exercise should not leave any scope for any intervention by the institutions that command 'direct money power and covert political power' and the issue must be taken to a logical conclusion.

These institutions would soon start projecting their woes in the garb of the enrolled students, which should not be paid any heed.

These institutions must be made to cough up the collections for rehabilitation of students before the dismissal.

Government's apathy to higher education and failure to allocate six per cent of GDP to education is clearly seen in this sordid exposure.

The release wanted the government to take quick steps to get these institutions affiliated after due process after urging to the MHRD and UGC to do away with the false academic reforms like creation of deemed universities, unitary universities, and so on, as private profiteering enterprises.