PANAJI
The Goa government has taken strong exception to what it terms an “unethical” and “irregular” decision by Goa University to roll out nine five-year integrated programmes for the 2026-27 academic year without securing mandatory approvals from the State, the Chancellor, and the Executive Council of the varsity.
Moving swiftly, the government is set to approach Chancellor and Governor Ashok Pushpathi Gajapathi Raju, seeking immediate intervention to roll back the courses, warning of serious and far-reaching repercussions for the State’s higher education framework.
The Directorate of Higher Education (DHE) had earlier cautioned the university against introducing such programmes through two separate communications in November 2025 and February 2026. Despite this, the university issued a notification under Ordinance 39A which, officials point out, has not been approved by the Chancellor, the government, or the Executive Council, and is yet to be deliberated upon at its meeting scheduled for May 29.
“The introduction of these courses is highly unethical, illegal and irregular. The file has already been moved to the government for the Chancellor’s intervention to roll them back. If implemented, these courses will have far-reaching implications,” a senior official said, adding that the government will ensure the programmes do not commence.
The government has also flagged serious procedural lapses, noting that the syllabi for the nine integrated programmes were prepared without constituting mandatory Boards of Studies (BoS). It has further raised concern over the admission structure, where 35 seats in each programme are reserved for non-Goan students, while only 15 are allocated for local candidates.
According to the university’s April 28 notification, the integrated programmes span disciplines such as sciences, social sciences, management, media, and public policy, and are being introduced under the framework of the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020. Admissions are to be based on merit derived from Class XII marks.
The DHE has reiterated that no new programme can be introduced without prior government approval, warning that such unilateral decisions could have a cascading effect and impose both direct and indirect financial burdens on the State.
In its note to the government, the DHE also highlighted that the university had earlier directed affiliated colleges not to start new or integrated courses to safeguard postgraduate enrolments. Colleges had agreed, on the condition that the university would also refrain from introducing such programmes without consulting them. “The varsity is now in violation of that understanding,” the official said.
