Higher Edu dept allows MAKAUT to issue NOC for applying to regulatory bodies
Kolkata: To keep up with the national standard of technical education in the state, the Higher Education department has allowed the Maulana Abul Kalam Azad University of Technology (MAKAUT) to issue NOC for applying to regulatory bodies like All India Council of Technical Education (AICTE) for introduction of additional courses in the existing colleges, which have already been approved by the regulatory bodies and are affiliated to MAKAUT.
This was in further relaxation to the January 24 relaxation wherein the department had extended that the MAKAUT will issue NOC for applying to the statutory bodies for variation in intake of the existing courses of the existing institutes under MAKAUT. It was applicable to all the existing engineering, technology, pharmacy, architecture and other professional institutes affiliated under MAKAUT and under control of the Higher Education department.
According to the notice dated September 14, 2023, direction was issued to all the state universities, including Maulana Abul Kalam Azad University of Technology (MAKAUT), to desist from providing NOC to any institute without obtaining prior approval from the Higher Education department and only after following the statutory questions. This notice was relaxed on January 24 and further relaxed on February 5.
The AICTE has published the approval process handbook 2024-27 where it is mentioned under Clause 2.6(a) that “the existing institutes shall have liberty to expand its activities by increase in intake or addition of new or additional courses.” As such, it seems that AICTE has given liberty to the existing institutes for expansion through increase in intake or introduction of new courses etc subject to fulfilment of necessary infrastructural facilities as stipulated by AICTE. The Association of Professional Academic Institutes of Bengal had applied to the Higher Education department for further relaxation towards issuance of NOC for the introduction of additional courses in the existing colleges under MAKAUT to avail the advantage of the liberty to expand its activities by increasing intake or addition of new or additional courses as per the AICTE guidelines.
However, this relaxation was not extended for establishment of new institutes and introduction of courses like BBA, BCA, B.Sc. in Hospitality and Hotel Administration, Bachelor of Optometry, B.Sc in Media Science etc which are known as non-AICTE courses offered by MAKAUT and extant procedure will continue in such institutes or courses.
