Rajiv Gandhi University of Health Sciences (RGUHS) is an interesting case study in indifference. It neither has the recognition of the University Grants Commission (UGC) nor a campus.
The failure to get the UGC recognition, 16 years after its inception,
has robbed the varsity, at least, of Rs100crore.
RGUHS was established in 1994 and now has 350 colleges affiliated to it.
RGUHS does not have a constituent medical college and this is a stumbling block in getting the UGC nod, said sources in RGUHS.
“We don’t have a constituent college. To get the UGC nod, it is a must to have at least one top medical college as a constituent,” an official said.
The UGC recognition would have made the university eligible for central funds and the faculty, a better remuneration package. “We will request the state government to add Bangalore Medical College (BMC) as a constituent college to RGUHS,” said a syndicate member.
People familiar with the matters say former vice-chancellors of the RGUHS did not succeed in getting the UGC approval. The current vice-chancellor Dr S Ramananda Shetty is the fifth one to serve at RGUHS.
The jury is divided. While some of the syndicate members say the vice-chancellor has the responsibility to get the UGC approval, a few senate members point to a collective failure. RGUHS officials say the university is only engaged in distributing affiliation to colleges and conducting examinations.
“If we have to take up any innovative programmes, we should have funds,” said an official. The issue of setting up a campus near Ramanagara is pending with the high court as farmers, faced with the prospect of land acquisition, have filed a case.
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