UGC issues deadline for ombudspersons in universities

The University Grants Commission (UGC) has asked the universities to appoint ombudspersons by December 31, 2023. Out of 1,090 universities, 584 are yet to appoint ombudsmen. UGC has warned that the names of non-compliant universities will be made public after the deadline.

In the directive, UGC reminded that the University Grants Commission (Redressal of Grievances of Students) Regulations, 2023 was officially published in the gazette on April 11, 2023 where universities were urged to appoint an ombudsperson within 30 days of the regulatory notification. The UGC has also issued several reminders.

In a letter to the vice-chancellors of state, central, private and deemed-to-be-universities, UGC Secretary Manish R Joshi mentioned, “The universities are required to comply with the regulations by constituting Students Grievance Redressal Committee (SGRC) any by appointing ombudspersons. However, it is understood that some universities are yet to comply with the regulations. The matter is being viewed seriously. Since enough opportunities have been provided to the universities, it has been decided to publish the names of defaulting universities on the website of the University Grants Commission (UGC) after 31.12.2023.”

The UGC letter further added, “In case a defaulting university desires to make a representation against inclusion of its name in the list of defaulting universities,it may be sent to the Secretary, University Grants Commission, Bahadurshah Zafar Marg, New Delhi- 110002, before 31 December 2023. It may be added that in case of a continuous non-compliance, the UGC may be constrained to take punitive action(s) against such Universities as per provisions of the Regulations.”