Public Policymaking in India

Appendix 8

Regulation of Private Unaided Engineering Colleges

I

In the first three decades after Independence, there was a phenomenal expansion of higher educational institutions and enrolment.¹ During the period 1950–51 to 1980–81, the number of universities increased from twenty-eight to 123, colleges from 578 to 4,378, and enrolment from 0.2 million to 2.8 million. Apart from establishing government colleges, many state governments encouraged the establishment of private colleges through a generous grant-in-aid policy. Promoters of private colleges were guaranteed state support for fully meeting the recurring costs three to live years after establishing the college, and with few conditionalities. They had full freedom to recruit staff and, ...