Mumbai: Political outfit bats for NMIMS students in lurch

Students didn’t expect that NMIMS would flout UGC norms

Representatives of the Maharashtra Navnirman Vidyarthi Sena (MNVS) met with the management of Narsee Monjee Institute of Management Studies (NMIMS) on Thursday, demanding an immediate refund of fees for students who enrolled for distance learning and online courses. The intervention came as students complained about not getting refunds after their courses were cancelled following a University Grants Commission (UGC) notice that barred the institution from
conducting them.

The UGC had barred NMIMS from offering distance learning and online programmes in April, citing gross violation of norms, through a public notice uploaded on the UGC website. The institute has been barred from offering such courses for the January-February 2023, July-August 2023, and January-February 2024 academic sessions.

According to the notice dated April 17, NMIMS was not abiding by the fee refund policy established by the UGC and there were numerous ongoing complaints regarding the provision of open and distance learning (ODL) and online courses.

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The UGC - through its public notice - also cautioned potential students against securing admission to any course offered by the institute. However, over 20,000 students took up various ODL and online programmes offered by NMIMS. "The amount for these courses varies from around Rs1 lakh to Rs1.35 lakh. NMIMS should refund the fees immediately so that students can secure admission elsewhere and don't end up wasting an academic year," said Santosh Gangurde, student activist and state chief organiser of MNVS.

According to Gangurde, students didn't expect that NMIMS would flout UGC regulations as it is a well-established institute. "We must also check if the management is implementing measures mandated under the Deemed Universities Act for students belonging to marginalised communities," he said.
One of the affected students said, "I do not have the time to wait till February 2024. I have to complete the course in a stipulated time and can't afford to waste this year," he said.

Meanwhile, NMIMS Registrar Dr Ashish Daptardar, in a letter to MNVS dated May 2, said NMIMS is a reputable institute and the management has already begun analysing the situation to determine how and what can be done to address it. "We have already begun refunding the fees of students who enrolled in January-February 2023. Student welfare is our priority," he said.

20,000
No. of students who enrolled