An organisation representing teachers of state-level universities and colleges has said the autonomy of institutions will be at stake if the proposed UGC rules on the appointment of teachers and vice-chancellors are approved.

Last week, the University Grants Commission (UGC) released draft regulations on this subject, seeking feedback from stakeholders by February 5.

According to the regulations, the Visitor, the President of India, will set up the search panels for the appointment of VCs in central universities. At state varsities, the chancellor, usually the governor, will do so.

Now, the Union education ministry sets up panels for central universities by including a nominee of the Visitor and state governments form panels with one nominee each from the chancellor, UGC and the university.

The existing UGC regulations notified in 2018 and 2010 are silent on which agency would set up the panels. Since the proposed regulations deny the states any role, several state governments have opposed it.

The All India Federation of University and College Teachers’ Organisations (AIFUCTO) said the proposed policy would lead to “extreme centralisation” on VC appointments in state universities.

“Extreme centralisation, like the one that the UGC envisages through its current draft regulations, denies not only the onus of the states but also the autonomy of the universities. Furthermore, it is highly objectionable that the UGC has prescribed punishments for those universities that wish to retain their identities even within broad compliance of the UGC’s diktats,” said the statement.

AIFUCTO general secretary Arun Kumar said the UGC’s repeated amendments to the regulations had created more confusion within the academic community regarding the existing pathways for career advancement.

He quoted the Madan Mohan Punchhi Commission report to argue that the panel had pointed out the illogicality of governors holding university chancellors’ posts. The commission had recommended that this practice should be scrapped.

“In keeping with the hidden agenda of the Union government, the UGC, through its new regulations, is trying to foist upon the office ofthe governor the completeauthority of appointing VCsof the state universities. Education belongs to the concurrent list of the Constitution and therefore, denying a role to the state governments in the matters pertaining to state universities goes against the federal principles upon which India is founded,” the statement said.

The AIFUCTO demanded immediate withdrawal of the draft regulations and engagement with teachers’ organisations and academics on any change in recruitment policy.

Bar on varsities

The UGC has debarred three private universities in Rajasthan from admitting students into the PhD programme for the next five years for failing to follow the regulator’s norms on conduct of research. The institutions are Om Parkash Jogender Singh University, Churu; Sunrise University, Alwar; and Singhania University, Jhunjhunu.