Summary
According to the UGC Act, the commission shall consist of a chairman, vice-chairman and 10 other members, to be appointed by the central government. The 10 members include two central government officials
The University Grants Commission (UGC), which has two-thirds of its members’ posts vacant, has taken several key decisions, including denying universities the freedom to hold entrance tests for PhD admission.
According to the UGC Act, the commission shall consist of a chairman, vice-chairman and 10 other members, to be appointed by the central government. The 10 members include two central government officials.
The Act says that at least four members shall be chosen from among persons who are in-service teachers of universities and the rest shall be chosen from among persons with knowledge or experience in agriculture, commerce, forestry or industry.
At present, the UGC has a chairman, a vice-chairman and two central government officials. There is no representation of teachers or experts.
The ministry of education (MoE) is supposed to appoint new members immediately after the existing members complete their term. The chairman enjoys a term of five years while the vice-chairman and other members get three-year terms.
The truncated higher education regulator is taking several key decisions, including the latest decision to deny the universities their rights to hold entrance tests.
At present, each university holds its own entrance test and viva voce to select candidates for PhD admission. The UGC holds the National Eligibility Test (NET) to select eligible candidates for posts of assistant professors in colleges and universities. Last week, the UGC wrote to vice-chancellors of all universities to request them to discontinue their entrance tests and consider NET as the single national entrance test.
Several student organisations have criticised the UGC over this decision.
The commission approved a proposal in this regard during its meeting on March 13. The notice said a single entrance would help students appear in one national entrance test instead of appearing in multiple tests.
The UGC had eight members, including the four present members till July 2023. Since August 2023, the commission has been working with four members only.
The vice-chancellor of a central university said faculty members and experts who are appointed as members of the UGC contribute to key decisions in UGC-related higher education. “The subject of higher education is a diverse domain. It requires subject expertise. The present commission should wait for new members to take decisions on important issues,” he said.
The VC said that the decision to snatch the freedom of universities to conduct PhD entrance is a controversial move, affecting the autonomy of universities.
An email has been sent to higher education secretary Sanjay Murthy to understand the reasons for delaying the appointment of members. An email has been sent to the UGC chairman regarding the criticism of the truncated commission making controversial decisions. Their responses are awaited.
Last updated on 08 Apr 2024
