In UGC Guidelines Row, Pinarayi Vijayan Responds To MK Stalin's Call

Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan has joined his Tamil Nadu counterpart, MK Stalin, in criticising provisions in a draft of the new University Grants Commission regulations. Mr Vijayan presented a resolution in the Kerala Assembly Tuesday demanding withdrawal of the guidelines.

On Monday Mr Stalin said certain sections were "in conflict with the state's educational system and policies" and said these challenge the integrity, autonomy, and development of state-run universities. He urged Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan to scrap those rules.

The red-flagged sections also included a clause about the selection and appointment of Vice Chancellors of state-run universities, a contentious subject in Tamil Nadu and Kerala.

In each state the government is in a long-running battle with their respective Governors over the passage of a bill to limit influence of the latter - as the de facto Chancellor - on the process. The clause in question allows the Governor to nominate a UGC member to the search committee.

The Supreme Court is hearing a plea by the Tamil Nadu government stating that at least six universities are without Vice Chancellors as the Governor has insisted on including a UGC nominee in the search committees. The state has said this is not required per these universities' statutes .

The UGC is a statutory body under the Union Education Ministry.

To muster support, Mr Stalin wrote to chief ministers of states not ruled by the BJP or its allies, asking them to pass resolutions similar to that passed by his government on January 9.

Letters were sent to the heads of the Delhi, Himachal Pradesh, Karnataka, Jharkhand, Jammu and Kashmir, Punjab, Telangana, and Bengal governments, as well as Mr Vijayan.

"It is crucial that we stand united against these attempts to centralise power and undermine the federal structure of our country. I would appreciate if you could consider this request and take the necessary steps to pass a resolution in your Assemblies," Mr Stalin had said.

And DMK spokesperson Dr Syed Hafeezullah this morning underlined the ruling party's position in a brief video statement. "The current UGC guidelines regarding appointment of Vice Chancellor to state universities has completely taken away the rights of elected state governments. Education is in the concurrent list... but the union government is taking it into the union list, which is against the spirit of cooperative federalism and is unacceptable," he said.

Dr Hafeezullah questioned what he said was the justification for the new UGC rules, which is that it will help improve the quality of education. He pointed out Tamil Nadu is already a "front-runner" in this space; several of the top 100 universities in the country are from Tamil Nadu, according to the National Institutional Research Framework.

"UGC and union government have things to learn from Tamil Nadu when it comes to education... hence the Chief Minister has written to state leaders to protect rights of states and Constitutional guarantees to elected governments," he said.

Other points of contention in the new UGC guidelines are the introduction of entrance exams for undergraduate and postgraduate courses, and the Multiple Entry, Multiple Exit proposal that will allow students to pursue any degree irrespective of their secondary stream.

In theory, this would allow a student with a four-year degree in an Arts subject to then pursue a postgraduate degree in Engineering or a technology-related subject.

With input from agencies

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