In this Act, unless the context otherwise requires: -

(a)“ABC” means Academic Bank of Credit;

(b)“Academic Council” means the Academic Council of the University;

(c)“affiliated college” means a college which has been granted affiliation by the University;

(d)“AICTE” means the All India Council for Technical Education as established under All India Council for Technical Education Act, 1987;

(e)“authorities” means the authorities of the University as specified by or under this Act;

(f)“autonomous college” or “autonomous institution” means a college or institution to which autonomy in the manner as prescribed by the Statutes;

(g)“autonomy” means a privilege of the University conferred by the Statutes to permit a college or an institution to conduct academic programme(s), examinations and develop syllabus for the respective subjects in line with the provisions of University Grants Commission (UGC);

(h)“bi-annual meeting” means one of the two meetings of the Senate to be held every year;

(i)“boards” means the boards of the University;

(j)“bodies” means the bodies of the University formed by the respective authorities;

(k)“Chancellor” and “Pro Chancellor” shall mean the Chancellor and Pro-Chancellor of the University as provided in this Act;

(l)“Chief Minister” means the Chief Minister of the State of Jharkhand;

(m)“college” means a college constituted by or affiliated to the University;

(n)“constituent college” means a college maintained and managed by the University and/or State Government;

(o)“committee” means the committee of the University and/or college under the jurisdiction of the University;

(p)“Commission” means the Jharkhand State University Service Commission established under Section 142 of this Act;

(q)“Community College” means a sub-unit of any Constituent College established by the State Government, particularly in remote or educationally disadvantaged areas of the State with low Gross Enrolment Ratio (GER), to offer vocational, skill-based, or higher education programmes up to the undergraduate diploma level, aligned with the National Skills Qualifications Framework (NSQF) by National Council for Vocational Training and Education or the National Higher Education Qualifications Framework (NHEQF) by UGC, and functioning as a feeder, institution to any Constituent or Affiliated College in the manner as may be prescribed by the Statutes;

(r)“Dean” means Dean of concerned faculty and Dean of Academic Affairs of the University;

(s)“degree”, “diploma”, “certificate” means academic qualifications granted by the University;

(t)“department” means a department conducting research, providing consulting and extension services, and teaching a particular subject or a group of subjects in a college or University as prescribed by the Statutes;

(u)“Department of Higher and Technical Education” means Department of Higher and Technical Education, Government of Jharkhand;

(v)“Director” means a head of an institution, or a board or a centre of the University as designated by the Senate or Syndicate;

(w)“Director of Higher Education” and “Director of Technical Education” means the Director of Higher Education and Director of Technical Education under the Department of Higher and Technical Education, Government of Jharkhand;

(x)“Employee” means permanent regular teachers, non-teaching staff and Officers appointed against sanctioned posts of the University;

(y)“Empowered Autonomous College” means an autonomous college that is approved by the University Grants Commission (UGC) as a College with potential for Excellence or College of Excellence, which has high level grade as specified by the Government by notification in the Official Gazette has been given the status of Empowered Autonomous College by the Authority in the manner as prescribed by the Statutes, with a power to grant degree of such College jointly with the teaching intensive University;

(z)“Empowered Autonomous Cluster Institutions” means a group of autonomous colleges of the same management or educational society which includes the colleges identified by the University Grants Commission (UGC) as College with potential for excellence or College of Excellence, which have high level grade as specified by the Government by notification in the Official Gazette as has been given the status of Empowered Autonomous Cluster Institution by the Authority in the manner as prescribed by the Statutes, and is empowered to grant a joint degree with the teaching intensive University;

(aa)“fee” means tuition fees, other fees and charges, including developmental charges, paid for imparting education;

(aa)“He” and “Him” mean a gender neutral pronouns used in this Act;

(ab)“Head of the University Department” and “Head of the College Department” means respectively, a Head of the University Department, and a Head of the College Department, as prescribed by the Statutes;

(ac)“higher education” means education imparted by the University, University Department or any College;

(ad)“honorary degree” means a degree or academic qualification conferred on any person, by reason of eminent attainment or distinction as may be decided by the Senate and confirmed by State Government;

(ae)“Hostel” means a place of residence for the students of the University or a college or an institution, provided, established, maintained, by the University or college or institution, as the case may be;

(af)“institution” means an academic institution of learning, other than a college, associated with, and admitted to the privileges of, the University;

(ag)“JCSTI” means Jharkhand Council on Science, Technology and Innovation, an autonomous of body, Department of Higher and Technical Education, Government of Jharkhand;

(ah)“JSFDA” means Jharkhand State Faculty Development Academy, an autonomous body of Department of Higher and Technical Education, Government of Jharkhand;

(ai)“JSHEC” means Jharkhand State Higher Education Council, an autonomous body of Department of Higher and Technical Education, Government of Jharkhand;

(aj)“management” means the trustees or the managing or governing body, by whatever name called, of any trust registered under the Indian Trusts Act, 1882 or any society registered under the Societies Registration Act, 1860 or a Company registered under section 8 of the Companies Act, 2013, under the management of which one or more colleges or other institutions of higher learning, are admitted to the privileges of the University:

(ak)“Lecturer” means a teacher of a College or University possessing such qualification as may be prescribed by the Statutes;

(al)“NAAC” means National Assessment and Accreditation Council;

(am)“NBA” means National Board of Accreditation;

(an)“non-vacational academic staff” means such staff as the State Government may classify to be non-vacational academic staff such as Vice Chancellor, Pro-Vice Chancellor, Finance Officer, Controller of Examination, all Deans, Heads of University Post Graduate Department, Director / Principal and includes all such staff which is engaged in discharging administrative functions;

(ao)“Officers” means officers of the University appointed and/or nominated by the competent authority which includes Financial Advisor, Proctor, Registrar, Finance Officer, Controller of Examination and other;

(aq)“Other Backward Classes” means any socially and educationally backward classes of citizens as declared by the State Government and includes Other Backward Classes declared by the Government of India in relation to the State of Jharkhand;

(ar)“particularly vulnerable tribal group (PVTG)” means tribes declared as such by the State Government or Government of India, from time to time;

(as)“public University” means an University established by the Act of Parliament or State Act and is managed and maintained by the Central or State Government;

(at)“post-graduate department” means a department in a college or institution of higher learning, research or specialised studies, recognised to be so by the University and imparting post-graduate instruction or guidance for teaching and research;

(au)“prescribed” means prescribed by Statutes or University Ordinances or Rules, as the case may be, made by or under this Act;

(av)“principal” means the head of a Constituent or Affiliated College, of the University;

(aw)“Professor”, “Associate Professor” or “Assistant Professor” means faculty or teacher in the respective capacity as prescribed by the Statutes or notified by the State Government from time to time;

(ax)“Reader” means a teacher of a College or the University possessing such qualifications as may be prescribed by the Statutes;

(ay)“Regional Centres” means a comprehensive inherent independent unit of the University enlisted in Schedule – II of this Act for a predetermined geographical jurisdiction approved by the Competent Authority for decentralization of administrative and extension activities of that jurisdiction, with the objective of improving efficiency and effectiveness;

(az)“registered graduate” means a graduate of a University registered or deemed to be registered by or under this Act with one of the universities;

(ba)“Regulatory Body” means and includes a body such as UGC, AICTE, NCTE, NMC, PCI, ICAR, BCI established for maintenance of standards of higher education;

(bb)“Research Intensive Unitary University” means a University established under this Act which are of unitary in nature and does not have power to affiliate any college;

(bc)“sanctioned post” means the posts sanctioned by the State Government;

(bd)“Schedule” means the Schedule appended to this Act;

(be)“Scheduled Castes” means such castes, races or tribes or parts of, or groups within, such castes, races or tribes as are deemed under article 341 of the Constitution of India to be the Scheduled Castes for the purpose of this Act;

(bf)“Scheduled Tribes” means such tribes or tribal communities or parts of or groups within, such tribes or tribal communities as are deemed under article 342 of the Constitution of India to be Scheduled Tribes for the purpose of this Act;

(bg)“Senate” means the Senate of the University;

(bh)“Self-financed Courses” means such academic, professional, vocational, or skill-based programs of study introduced or conducted by the University or its Constituent Colleges, which do not receive any financial assistance or budgetary support, whether recurring or non-recurring, from the State Government; and for which the entire expenditure, including but not limited to faculty and staff salaries, equipment, administrative expenses, and operational costs, is met through the fees collected from students enrolled in such courses or through any other non-governmental sources, subject to such regulatory approvals or oversight as may be prescribed by the State Government or the University or regulatory bodies;

(bi)“State Government” means the State Government of Jharkhand and other such Competent Authorities or Officers of the State Government with powers delegated and functions defined in the manner as prescribed by the Statutes;

(bj)“State Reservation Policy” means the Reservation Policy of Jharkhand as notified and amended from time to time;

(bk)“Statutes”, “University Ordinances”, and “Rules” mean, respectively, the Statutes, University Ordinances, and rules made by or under this Act;

(bl)“Student” means an individual who is admitted and registered for an academic program of the University or affiliated college or constituent college of the University;

(bm)“Study Centre” means a comprehensive inherent independent unit of the University for a predetermined geographical jurisdiction approved by the competent authority for decentralization of academic and research activities of that jurisdiction;

(bn)“Syndicate” means the Syndicate of the University;

(bo)“teacher” means full time regular professor, associate professor, assistant professor, reader, lecturer, principal, Director of an Institution, Director or Instructor of physical education in any University department, constituent, affiliated or autonomous college of the University;

(bq)“Teaching Intensive Affiliating University” means a University established under this Act which have power to affiliate any college;

(br)“University” means State Universities mentioned in the Schedule I, II, and III of this Act;

(bs)“University department” means a department established and maintained by the University as prescribed by the Statutes, conducting research, providing consultancy and extension services, and teaching a particular subject or a group of subjects;

(bt)“University Fund” means the fund of the University established under section 124 of this Act;

(bu)“University Grants Commission” means the University Grants Commission established under the University Grants Commission Act, 1956; and

(bv)“Vice Chancellor” and “Pro-Vice Chancellor” means the Vice Chancellor and Pro-Vice Chancellor of the University respectively.

CHAPTER II: STATE UNIVERSITIES