SHILLONG:
The Education department has said that the collaboration between the Martin Luther Christian University (MLCU) and the Indian Institute of Public Health, Shillong (IIPHS) is not against the MLCU Act as long as it is limited to not awarding degrees to students enrolled for courses in the latter.
This was stated in a letter issued by the deputy secretary in-charge Education to the deputy secretary in-charge Health and Family Welfare department on December 20.
“…the matter has been examined by this department and is of the view that so long as the collaboration between MLCU and IIPHS is limited to not awarding Degrees to the students enrolled for courses in IIPHS, such collaboration is not violating the MLCU Act,” the letter said.
“However, if Degrees are awarded by the University to the students enrolled in any course in IIPHS, it amounts to affiliating a college which is in clear violation of MLCU Act/MPU (REMS) Act, 2019,” it added.
On October 16, the Meghalaya Private Universities Regulatory Board (MPURB) had revealed that in the guise of collaboration, degrees (in Masters of Public Health (MPH) are being awarded by the Martin Luther Christian University (MLCU) to the students of the Indian Institute of Public Health, Shillong (IIPH-S).
The was stated in the report submitted by the chairman of MPURB, LM Sangma, to the state government on September 20.
The board had examined the “interim-arrangement” between the IIPH-S and MLCU following the alleged illegal offering of a post graduate programme in Masters of Public Health.
The MPURB had said according to Section 4 (3) of the Meghalaya Private Universities (Regulation of Establishment and Maintenance of Standards) Act, 2019: Every Private University under the Act of Meghalaya should be a unitary University having adequate facilities for teaching, research, examination and extension services with no power of affiliation after October 15, 2019 when the Amendment Act was notified.
As per the MLCU (Amendment) Act, 2019, MLCU can no longer affiliate any other college or institutions except constituent college established by the University on their own.
“In the guise of collaboration, degrees are being awarded by MLCU to the students of IIPH-S so that clauses of affiliation enshrined in the MLCU Act could by bypassed,” the MPURB had said in its report.
According to the paper received from MLCU only two appointment as Adjunct Professor was made on October 26 and October 31 of 2017 but the rest 6 (six) of them was issued only on July 1, 2022.
“If that is the circumstances why only 2 (two) persons were approved as Adjunct Professor or faculty as the course run by IIPH-S started from 2019,” it had said.
The Board had also said that the MOU signed between MLCU and IIPH-S appears to be invalid.
“Where the signatory to the MOU did not indicate the date of signatures nor notorised, copy of which enclosed which appear to be invalid,” it had said.
It had said that according to letter dated April 17, 2019 at Sl 16, programme will be conducted at IIPH-S Shillong MLCU will be the awarding body only adding that the number of classrooms and other spaces provided by MLCU to IIPH-S within its campus to offer such courses is to be indicated.
On whether prior approval of the government of Meghalaya in Education department was obtained by MLCU before introduction of IIPH-S courses in their University, the report had revealed that according to the agreement between PHFI and the state government of Meghalaya in Health department : “There is no provision of MLCU getting involved in awarding degrees to the students of IIPH-S.”
“The agreement (MoU) between government and PHFI appearing in Article 5 is bad in law as dispute to be settled between the parties involved in the agreement (MOU) and not to refer to the third party,” it had further stated.
Furthermore, the MPURB had written to MLCU on September 1, 2022 to provide the teaching faculty of MLCU and IIPH-S along with supporting staff of IIPH-S but no response has been received till date, the report said.