UGC grants 12-B status to university

Kolkata: Netaji Subhas Open University (NSOU) of Kolkata has been granted 12-B status by the University Grants Commission (UGC) under section 12-B of the UGC Act, 1956. The UGC notified the university of this inclusion on October 14.

This special status comes with numerous benefits, including eligibility for receiving Central assistance from the Government of India (GOI) or any organisation receiving funds from the Central government for research and development initiatives.

“This was the basic criterion for getting academic funding through the UGC. Without this status, faculties cannot apply for government or UGC projects and the university cannot apply for RUSA funds. Now our research will achieve excellence and higher education in the open education system will gain a new dimension. Also, our faculties will be able to participate in collaborative research and other academic activities with other government universities,” stated Manan Kumar Mandal, Head of the Bengali Department at NSOU.

Established in 1997 to mark the birth centenary of Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose, NSOU began functioning in July 1998. It is the only State Open University in Bengal. Till 2013, NSOU was under the Distance Education Council, whose apex body was IGNOU. In 2014, along with other state open universities, NSOU came under the UGC-DEB (Distance Education Bureau).

An NSOU official explained that one of the main criteria for obtaining 12-B status was having a minimum of 40 acres of land, which the university did not meet as it had about 27 acres spread across different campuses. Following a request from NSOU, the land criterion was revised to 5 acres. NSOU then applied for 12-B status in 2023. Subsequently, the UGC formed a five-member committee that inspected the university online over three days in April this year, ultimately granting the clearance.