UGC draft on VC appointment will destabilise university system

CHENNAI: The University Grants Commission’s (UGC) draft notification on the appointment of vice-chancellors (V-Cs) is an attempt to de-democratise the university system in India, criticised members of the Aided College Teachers’ Association (ACTA).

The Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan, on January 6, released UGC’s new draft policy on the appointment of vice-chancellors in universities across the country.

Highlighting that this proposal would provide the upper hand to the Governor of the respective State in constituting the search panel, ACTA members in a letter said, “The police is a threat that would facilitate induction of non-academicians to the academic positions.”

“The friction between the Governor and the TN government has already deterred the process of posting VCs to many universities. Adoption of this new draft proposal will further escalate this friction and worsen the academic and administrative condition in the universities in India,” the ACTA letter pointed out.

The priority was given only to highly qualified persons in the academia when it comes to the vital role of vice-chancellor, so far, said the letter, adding, however, the new draft notification will result in the appointment of non-academicians to this crucial role.

“The professors are undergoing mental agony after UGC notified that those colleges who do not adopt the New Education Policy (NEP) of the Union government will lose their affiliation with universities and will not be able to confer degrees to the students. Further, they will have to face the threat of losing the UGC grants,” detailed S Sahaya Sathish, general secretary of ACTA.

Sathish, condemning the UGC’s draft notification explained, “The frequent interventions of the UGC are meant to dismantle the well-established university system. The deprivation of the states' rights over education and absolute centralisation of the nation's educational system will be a death knell to state's autonomy and academic autonomy of HEIs.”

Meanwhile, during the assembly session on January 10, the Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly (TNLA) adopted a resolution urging the union government to withdraw the draft notification.

This resolution by the government received 'unanimous' support from all parties including the opposition party AIADMK. However, the BJP staged a walkout.