NAAC issues show-cause notice
NEW DELHI, Nov 13: The Association of Indian Universities (AIU) on Thursday suspended membership of Al Falah University, which is under scanner in connection with the Red Fort blast case, officials said.
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The Association of Indian Universities (AIU) is a registered society under the Societies Registration Act, 1860, with membership of Indian Universities. It provides a forum for administrators and academicians of member universities to exchange views and discuss matters of common concern.
“It is intimated that, as per the Bye-laws of the Association of Indian Universities (AIU), all universities shall be treated as members as long as they remain in good standing,” said AIU Secretary General, Pankaj Mittal.
“However, it has come to notice that Al Falah University, Faridabad, Haryana, does not appear to be in good standing. Accordingly, the membership of AIU was accorded to Al Falah University, Faridabad, Haryana, stands suspended with immediate effect,” she added.
The top official informed that Al Falah University is not authorised to use the name or logo of AIU in any of its activities, and the AIU logo must be removed from the university’s official website.
The Al Falah University in Dhauj village in Faridabad came under the scanner of investigating agencies after an interstate “white collar” terror module was busted. It is a private institute that also houses a hospital on its campus.
Meanwhile, National Assessment and Accreditation Council (NAAC) has issued a show-cause notice to Al Falah University — which is under scanner following the Delhi blast — for displaying false certification on its website, officials said on Thursday.
The National Assessment and Accreditation Council (NAAC) is an autonomous Government body that evaluates and certifies the quality of higher education institutions like colleges and universities.
In its show-cause notice, the NAAC said it has noted that the university, “which is neither accredited nor applied for accreditation by NAAC”, has publicly displayed on its website that some of its colleges are NAAC-certified.
The notice quoted the website as reading, “Al Falah University is an endeavour of Al Falah Charitable Trust, which has been running three colleges on the campus, namely Al Falah School of Engineering and Technology (since 1997, Graded A by NAAC), Brown Hill College of Engineering and Technology (since 2008), and Al Falah School of Education and Training (since 2006, Graded A by NAAC).”
“This is absolutely wrong and misleading the public, especially the parents, students and stakeholders,” the NAAC notice said.
The accreditation body has sought an explanation from the university and directed it to remove the portions on its website and other publicly available documents that claim false NAAC certification.
The accreditation for Al Falah School of Engineering and Technology expired in 2018, while that of Al Falah School of Education and Training expired in 2016, the notice said.
“The accreditation status of both the colleges has expired. Both the colleges have not yet volunteered for fresh Assessment and Accreditation process of the NAAC,” the notice said.
According to its website, Al Falah University was established by the Haryana Legislative Assembly under the Haryana Private Universities Act.
It started as an Engineering College in 1997. In 2013, the Al Falah Engineering College received A-category NAAC accreditation. In 2014, the Haryana government granted it university status. The Al Falah Medical College is also affiliated with the university.
According to several observers, in its early years, the Al Falah University presented itself as an excellent alternative to Aligarh Muslim University and Jamia Millia Islamia for minority students pursuing quality education. (PTI)
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