Latest news with #MonadUniversity
Hans India
6 days ago
- Business
- Hans India
It's time for transparent mechanism to audit quality in private education
It was so dreadful to read about Uttar Pradesh Special Task Force (STF) uncovering a massive fake degree racket operating out of Monad University, a private institution in Pilkhuwa, Hapur. The media reported that on May 18, the STF had arrested 10 persons associated with the university, including its Chairman ChaudharyVijendra Singh and pro-chancellor Nitin Kumar Singh for their involvement in the sordid crime. Vijendra Singh was reportedly running the fake degree operation. Thousands of fake degrees are believed to have been recovered in the raid. The fake degrees were sold for amounts ranging from Rs 50,000 to Rs five lakh, often to secure private and government jobs. One shudders to think of the fate of those who have obtained those fake degrees for the purpose of securing a job. The private education market has a significant role in India's overall education sector, with projections indicating continued growth in the years to come. Back in 2022, the market size was estimated at $43.5 billion for school education – from kindergarten to the 12th Grade. The market is expected to increase at a CAGR of 12 per cent between 2023 and 2028. By FY25, the entire Indian education sector is estimated to be at a staggering $225 billion, while the education tech market is projected to grow to $7.5 billion. The total number of private educational institutions operating in the country stood at 3,73,621 in FY 2021. It is expected to scale to 4,59,952 units by FY 2027, expanding at a CAGR of around 3.69 per cent during the FY 2022 to FY 2027 period. As per an estimate, the state private universities, comprising teaching departments and constituent units or off-campus centres, have experienced the most significant growth, with enrolments soaring from 2.7 lakh in 2011-12 to 16.2 lakh in 2021-22, which accounts for an astonishing 497 per cent increase. According to the 2021-2022report of the All India Survey on Higher Education (AISHE), there were 1,168 universities, 45,473 colleges and 12,002 stand-alone institutions in the country. This almost 40-fold increase in the number of universities is a massive achievement as regards creation of access and facilities in the Indian higher education ecosystem. As on to date, we have over 500 universities in the private sector. The overwhelming expansion of educational opportunities to a much broader segment of the population is a welcome idea. As the data suggests, the private sector has emerged as a major force in expanding access to education. Many private institutions have also introduced a variety of curricula and pedagogical models including international programmes, vocational training, and online learning. However, can one vouch for the fact that quality of education is not being compromised in higher education institutions (HEIs) in the private sector? Are the teachers paid suitably? Do we have a fool-proof mechanism to audit their academic outcome? Are the annual reports of state private universities tabled on the floor of the state assemblies for discussion? Like many others, I am not opposed to having private HEIs but their promoters must understand that health and education sectors are not meant for profit making in a country like India where the majority of those who account for the country's 85 per cent population is devoid of quality education. If they do so, they are only weakening the nation's socio-economic fabric. By generating a few lakh jobs, they are not rendering any long-term favours to the country. India's top HEIs in the private sector have a miniscule presence of students from weaker and deprived social groups, whom we know as SCs, STs, and OBCs. While the role of the private sector in boosting education is undeniable, there are critical concerns that must be addressed to ensure equity and quality. I strongly feel that the majority of private institutions operate on a for-profit model, which excludes economically weaker sections. As many private institutions do not maintain high academic standards, there is a compelling need for a robust regulation and accreditation mechanism. One wonders why the Central and state governments are averse to the idea of rigorous evaluation of quality and inclusivity of HEIs in the public and private sector. The shift from an elitist colonial model of education to the enhancing paradigm marks a fundamental transformation in the philosophy and practice of education. However, for this movement to be truly transformative, it must be guided by principles of equity, quality, and inclusiveness, ensuring that massification does not become mere numerical expansion, but genuinely empowers the society through education. As things stand, the powers-that-be need to revisit their policies to maintain the sanctity of HEIs in the private sector. If they are being allowed to run as business entities or personal fiefdoms, then what is the point in asking: Who will bell the cat? Our higher education landscape has long grappled with glaring disparities in access and quality. We must not let our students navigate a fragmented and often compromised system, especially in the private sector. In many cases, private HEIs operate more like profit-driven ventures than centres of learning, often prioritising financial returns over academic excellence. This has led to an ecosystem where capitation fees, inadequate faculty, lack of research infrastructure, and obsolete curricula are the norm and not the exception. The University Grants Commission (UGC), All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE), Union Ministry of Education, and state governments must be driven by the accountability factor and do a rethink on the existing policies. Mere affiliation and accreditation formalities are not enough. A transparent and enforceable mechanism must be instituted to audit quality, governance, and inclusiveness in private HEIs. Without stringent checks and accountability, private HEIs will continue to function as personal fiefdoms, perpetuating inequity rather than alleviating it. To truly democratize higher education, we must balance autonomy with accountability, equity with excellence. Reforms cannot remain on paper. They must be reflected across classrooms, faculty rooms, and boardrooms alike. Only then can the sanctity and promise of higher education can be preservedin our country.
Indian Express
22-05-2025
- Politics
- Indian Express
Derecognise Hapur private varsity: DM to Education Dept
The Hapur district administration has asked the UP government to cancel the recognition of Monad University after the Special Task Force (STF) of the state police arrested the university's chairman and pro-vice chancellor for allegedly fabricating degrees and marksheets of various university courses and extorting money from students. Monad University, a private institution located in the Pilkhuwa area of Hapur, currently has around 4,500 students enrolled. As per the university's website, it was established under Act No 23 of 2010 by the Government of Uttar Pradesh, which was published in the Official Gazette on October 12, 2010. The university received an authorization letter from the state government on January 11, 2011, following which it became operational. Monad University offers various courses, including pharmacy, engineering, management and law. In a letter to the Principal Secretary, Higher Education Department, Hapur District Magistrate Abhishek Pandey gave the details of the racket and the police investigation so far, while recommending derecognition of the university. On Sunday, the STF arrested 10 people, including the university's chairman Vijendra Singh Hooda, pro-vice chancellor Nitin Kumar Singh, and other staff members. The team also claimed to have seized 1,372 fake marksheets and degrees, along with 262 counterfeit provisional and migration certificates. All the 10 accused arrested in the case are in judicial custody. According to a senior police officer, the university administration, following the STF raids, had declared the campus closed until Wednesday. It is likely to reopen Thursday. Amid confusion among the students and the university staff, a senior district administration official clarified that the cancellation of the university's recognition would not affect the validity of degrees and marksheets issued so far. The official also assured that currently enrolled students should not panic, as efforts will be made to transfer them to other institutions, wherever possible, if the recognition is cancelled. The racket was busted after police arrested Sandeep, a Haryana resident and alleged member of the racket, following a complaint that fake degrees and marksheets for various courses from Monad University in Hapur were being prepared and sold. Police said Sandeep allegedly admitted that he printed counterfeit degrees and marksheets for several courses—such as BA, LLB, Pharmacy, and the instructions of university chairman Vijendra Singh Hooda. According to police, the accused claimed they charged students between Rs 50,000 and Rs four lakh per course, depending on the degree. An STF official said that during the investigation, it was found that the racket had been operating for the past two to three years, with fake degrees, marksheets, and other documents being sold in exchange for money. 'We are investigating the involvement of other individuals in the racket,' the official added.
Indian Express
18-05-2025
- Indian Express
UP: 1,372 fake degrees, mark sheets seized from Hapur private university, chairman, pro-chancellor held
The Uttar Pradesh Police's Special Task Force (STF) on Sunday claimed to have recovered 1,372 fake degrees and mark sheets from a private university in Hapur district and arrested 10 persons, including the institution's chairperson and pro-chancellor. They also seized 262 counterfeit provisional and migration certificates, 14 mobile phones and seven laptops, the STF said in a press statement. Besides university chairperson Vijendra Singh Hooda and pro-chancellor Nitin Kumar Singh, those arrested are varsity staffers Kamal Batra, Imran, Gaurav, Mukesh Thakur, Vipul Chaudhary and Abhishek Pandey, and one Sandeep Shehrawat and his associate Rajesh, officials said. The accused prepared counterfeit degrees and mark sheets for various courses, including BA, law, pharmacy and in lieu of money, they said. In the statement, the STF said that Hooda, also an accused in the infamous Bike Boat scam, an investment scheme running into Rs 15,000 crore, has nearly a hundred cases registered against him in several districts. He has been managing Monad University since 2022, it is learnt. The police said the action was taken after they received a complaint about fake degrees and mark sheets being prepared for various courses at the university. They first arrested Sandeep, a resident of Haryana and key member of the alleged forgery racket, near Monad University on Saturday. During questioning, Sandeep confessed that he printed counterfeit degrees and mark sheets on the directions of Hooda, the STF said. Then the STF team raided the university and arrested the other accused from the campus, the press statement said. In the statement, STF Additional Director General (ADG) Amitabh Yash said, 'In the course of investigation of an application, action was taken by the STF's Lucknow head office team at Monad University, Hapur on May 17. 'A large number of fake mark sheets, degrees etc. were recovered, in which about a dozen people were detained, which included the university chairperson and main accused Vijendra Singh Hooda', he said. The police said the accused charged the students between Rs 50,000 and Rs 400,000 for a degree, depending on the course. — with PTI
Time of India
18-05-2025
- Time of India
Fake degree racket busted at Hapur varsity, chairman among 10 arrested
Meerut: UP Police's Special Task Force (STF) has busted a operating out of , a private university in Hapur, and arrested 10 people — including the university's chairperson Vijendra Singh Hudda — who were allegedly selling forged educational documents to dropouts and job seekers, police said on Sunday. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now The accused supplied counterfeit mark sheets, degrees, migration certificates and other records for money, as per cops. Investigators said the accused charged between Rs 50,000 and Rs 5 lakh for certificates for courses such as BTech, LLB, LLM, BSc and BEd, even though the documents were not listed in the university's database. "We checked the enrolment numbers on the university website and found no records of these certificates," an officer said. During the raid on Saturday, the STF seized over 1,000 fake educational documents — including 1,372 degrees and 262 provisional and migration certificates. Officials also seized Rs 6.5 lakh in cash and several electronic devices from the campus. UP-STF ADG Amitabh Yash said the investigation began with the arrest of a man, Sandeep Kumar from Haryana, who was found with fake certificates. Kumar told police he printed the documents on Hudda's instructions and was paid Rs 5,000 for each certificate. Hudda, who signed the forged certificates, received the maximum share of the money. An FIR was registered under BNS sections 318(4) (cheating), 336, 338, 340 (forgery) and 111 (organised crime). "The arrests followed a wider probe into the racket. We are taking further action and investigating the role of other people involved," Yash added. Hudda, who founded Monad University in 2010, has previously been accused in several scams. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now He was named in the multi-crore 'bike boat' scam involving over 118 FIRs across Uttar Pradesh. After initially fleeing to London, he was granted bail in 2022. Following his release, he allegedly began operating the fake degree racket from the university. In 2021 and again in 2024, police recovered fake documents linked to Monad University and arrested five people in each case. The institution was also involved in a 2019 post-matric scholarship scam in which 28 students reported a Rs 20.6 lakh fraud. Three employees, including the then-manager, were arrested in that case.
