The Congress and the Karnataka government on Tuesday objected to the Centre’s draft rules seeking to deny any role to the state governments in the appointment of vice-chancellors of universities and allow unfettered contractual hiring of faculty.

The University Grants Commission (UGC) has published draft regulations on minimum qualificationsfor the appointment and promotion of teachers and academic staff in universitiesand colleges.

At present, the VCs of central universities (CUs) are appointed by the Visitor, the President of India, while the VCs of the state universities are appointed by the chancellor, the governors of respective states.

The search-and-selection committee is set up by the ministry of education forthe central universities while the state governments set up the search panels with the nominee of governors forthe selection of VCs in state universities.

The draft rules released last week said that the selection panels would be set up by the Visitor for central universities and by chancellors for the state universities.

The UGC’s 2018 regulations stated that an institution can hire contractual faculty up to a maximum of 10 per cent of its teacher strength. The draft rules give full freedom to hire as many contractual faculty.

Karnataka higher education minister M.C. Sudhakar has written to Union education minister Dharmendra Pradhan to oppose the provision for VC appointment. Congress leader Jairam Ramesh took to X to oppose the decisions.

Sudhakar wrote thatthese provisions on the appointment of VCs undermined the legitimate role that the state governments play in improving higher education in the state.

“If the vice-chancellor is not appointed according to these guidelines, the appointment shall be null and void. This would contradict the provisions of the legislations governing universities in the state, including in relation to the tenure and reappointment of VCs,” he wrote.

The minister argued that various activities of the universities are questioned and debated in the Assembly where the state is answerable.

“The elected government in the state is responsible and held accountable on issues related to the administration of universities. Therefore, excluding the state governments in the administration of state universities is unacceptable,” he wrote.

Sudhakar appealed to Pradhan to direct the UGCto withdraw the draft guidelines immediately and hold wider consultations with state governments.

In a post on X, Ramesh said removal of the 10 per cent ceiling on contractual professorships would open the gates for the large-scale contractualisation of teaching inhigher education and would destroy the quality of institutions and the spirit of academic independence.