About AICP

A brief history of Association of Indian College Principals:

It was in the winter of 1997 that when some of us the fellow Principals met in Delhi, attending the Principals conference hosted by the ‘Indian Colleges Forum,’ the idea of forming an All India Principals organization, similar to that of the ‘Association of Indian Universities,’ was mooted. A Steering Committee was formed to ascertain the views of the Principals across the country about the feasibility of such an organization. Dr.G. Ramachandram, the Convener of the Steering Committee, wrote nearly 1000 letters to fellow Principals seeking their views. He had received an overwhelming response to the idea of an All India Principals organization. And encouraged by the response, some nine Principals had met at Goa University on 22nd February, 2008 and formed the Association of Indian College Principals (AICP) with Principal V.R.Shirgukar and Dr.G.Ramachandram as the founder President and the Secretary respectively. The Association was registered with the Charity Commissioner, Bombay, under the Societies Registration Act,1860 & the Public Trust Act,1950 with the registered Office C/o Kandivali Education Society’s College, Bhulabhai Desai Road, Kandivali(West),Mumbai-400 067. It is the first registered organization of College Principals at the national level. The Association believes in open and transparent system of working. The uniqueness of this organization is that its membership is offered to the Principal and not to the institution. That is the Principal continues to be its member as long as he or she is in service and avails the privileges of membership. We hope this Association would emerge as an effective national organization to take up common issues and problems affecting the institutions of higher learning and influence decision making and policy formulation in the field of higher education.

Founde President Message

Principal V. R Shirgurkar

Founder President and
Chairman, Board of Trustees, Association of Indian College Principals
I am very happy to know that the newly designed web-site of the Association of Indian College Principals is being launched very soon. I am sure it will help the academia to know various facets and the functioning of the Association of Indian College Principals.

Founded in 1998, the AICP has given a platform for the college principals to express their views on the problems faced by the higher education system today. The system today has to address  numerous  problems such as the ineffective affiliating system of education blocking changes in the curricula to accommodate the fast changing economic and business environment outside, the large numbers of colleges- (up to even 7 to 8 hundred in some cases)-under the umbrella of one university making it practically impossible for the concerned university administration either to exercise control or give guidance to them, very large size of the classes where learning is lost under the pressure of completing the syllabi, low attendance for classes in the affiliated colleges, lack of adequate numbers of teachers, state governments not willing to allow colleges to appoint additional teachers, inefficient and inadequate administrative support in almost all the universities, the examination sections which have lost credibility in many large universities, corrupt practices, fake degrees, political appointments of the vice chancellors, delays in the decision making processes at almost every level from the UGC to the affiliated colleges and Directorates of Education in the country, large numbers of students passing the examinations with average grades, low enrolment- only 13 percent enrolment in higher education at the national level depriving 87% eligible students of the higher education opportunities, inadequate funding provided by the central and the state governments for education and research resulting in poor infrastructure conditions in many Government funded institutions,outdated syllabi followed in most of the universities leaving our students much behind the global advances, commercialization of education at the hands of the deemed universities and the colleges running self financing courses making education very expensive and taking it beyond the reach of middle and lower class students, dictation in the classrooms replacing effective learner centered teaching processes, lack of quality research and consultancy in the universities, lack of facilities for research in many universities, meager patentsfiled by research institutes, and so on. The list of problems faced by the higher education system is unending.

The AICP has taken some steps in opening discussion on some such problems. We have to work harder to make an impact at the national level. I am sure, the newly designed website will of great help to our members to participate in a nationwide dialogue/debate and thereby contribute to further the cause of higher education in the country.

The Association looks forward to the likeminded academia from colleges and universities across the country to come forward and collaborate with the Association for promising a better education tomorrow for our next generation. Let us leave behind us a system that will take due care of our children in future.

Aims and Objectives

1. To serve as an apex organization of College Principals at the national level;
2. To exert positive influence on decision making and policy formulation in the field of higher education and to take up common financial, administrative and academic issues and problems with appropriate authorities;
3. To assist the appropriate authorities in implementation of educational policies and programmes;
4. To promote academic and administrative excellence in the field of higher education;
5. To act as a liaison between colleges and various authorities of Universities, State Governments, the UGC, other bodies and the Central Government;
6. To organize conferences of College Principals;
7. To organize seminars, workshops, orientation and training programmers;
8. To make arrangements for academic exchange and collaboration programmes for Principals and experts from Universities and educational institutions within and outside India;
9. To endeavor for the betterment and social welfare of Principals;
10. To publish reports, periodicals, journals, books, souvenirs etc.; and
11. To undertake such activities conducive to the attainment of the above objectives.