AICTE adopts virtual inspection method, to fast-track approval process for new colleges and universities

The AICTE has launched a new process to fast-track the approval process for new colleges and universities.

The All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE) has announced a new procedure that will help in fast-tracking the approval process for new colleges and universities.

Due to the ongoing nationwide coronavirus lockdown in the country, the council has decided to conduct inspection through a novel method, which is mandatory before securing approval - virtual inspections.

Announcing that the scrutiny of documents has started and the list of documents remains the same as the previous year, the council has said a form is now available online for application for the same.

The council also said that this year due to ongoing litigation there was a delay in releasing the approval process handbook, which is usually done by December for extension of approval, starting new courses, variation in the intake, and new technical institutions.

Later, due to the lockdown imposed in the country as a preventive measure to avoid further spread of coronavirus, the process was further delayed since the approval process includes visits to new institutes and even surprise visits to existing ones.

“AICTE has devised online scrutiny of documents and online institute inspections, using Microsoft Team… without physical visits, for giving approvals to new colleges. This new method is better because it saves time. The institutes would have to show us their space, building, and infrastructure virtually, which would be recorded. Also, there is more transparency since we can conduct surprise inspections at any time and verify if what was claimed in terms of infrastructure and otherwise is indeed available”.

Earlier, AICTE had also asked institutes to grant provisional admissions to PGDM and PGCM i.e. Certificate and Diploma Programmes in Management Courses, in wake of ongoing coronavirus crisis in the country.