Prestigious Pearl Academy, a Delhi-based fashion institute with centres in Noida, Mumbai and Jaipur, has said that it has not received any ‘Notice of Closure’ from the UGC. According to a report by leading Indian daily Hindustan Times, in a notice to Pearl Academy, the UGC says that Pearl Academy is not authorized to grant any degree either in a standalone mode or in collaboration with any foreign university. The Commission’s order follows mounting complaints against private institutes tying up with foreign universities to offer degrees, which is not legally allowed in India. It said the academy is not a “university”, according to a 1956 Law that governs India’s higher education system. The Academy is awarding joint degrees with Nottingham Trent University (NTU) of Britain.
However, the Academy states that it is not doing anything wrong. When Apparel Online asked Sharad Mehra, CEO of Pearl Academy that how the academy is issuing degrees when it is not ‘approved’ from UGC, he said, “We are not issuing degrees, degrees are of Nottingham Trent University.”
Later in a statement, the Academy said, “Pearl Academy has not received any ‘Notice of Closure’ from the UGC, and is working with the relevant authorities on the misleading report which has caused immense grief to our students, staff and faculty. As an institution with over 20 years of experience and a strong track-record of quality and strong student outcomes, Pearl Academy stands committed to its students, staff and faculty. As stated repeatedly – the institution does not award degrees. Any degree awarded is by the Nottingham Trent University which is one of the institution’s partners.”
