A forum of university teachers has described an advisory from the state higher education department barring universities from holding meetings of top decision-making bodies or convocations without the government’s approval as an infringement “on the remnants” of their autonomy.
The forum said that if universities had to take permission even to hold meetings, day-to-day work on campuses would come to a standstill.
Members of the forum said the bar assumed significance because the state government does not recognise the authority of the officiating vice-chancellors, who were appointed by the governor allegedly without consulting the education department.
Whenever the officiating VCs will seek permission to hold a meeting, they
will be denied permission, said a spokesperson for the forum.
The forum in its statement has also protested the higher education department’s restriction on awarding career advancement schemes (promotion) to teachers.
The advisory issued on Monday said the authorised (officiating) vice-chancellors had extended promotional benefits to teaching staff “in violation of Section 3(1)(ii) of the West Bengal Universities (Control of Expenditure) Act, 1976 & in absence of Govt. order in this regard”.
“You are requested to abstain from violating aforesaid provisions,” the advisory says.
The forum’s statement says: “The advisory which the higher education department issued on Monday is absolutely against the interest of the education and the teaching community. Not only that, if this is to be executed then the remnants of the autonomy will perish.”
“If we are to go by the present advisory, then not only to call the meeting of the senate, syndicate and executive council, the universities require approval of the department even to hold other necessary meetings. If we accept this, then a meeting of any committee for the day-to-day business cannot be held. This will result in a deadlock.”
The government advisory reads: “...the universities are holding meetings of the Court/Senate/Governing board and Syndicate/Executive Council and other bodies of the universities as well as convocations without the approval of the state government in violation of Rule 3(5) of the West Bengal State Universities (Terms and Conditions of Service of Vice-Chancellors and Manner and Procedure of Official Communication) Rules, 2019.”
Sanatan Chattopadhyay, the secretary of the Calcutta University Teachers’ Association, which is part of the forum, said the universities are suffering because of the stand-off between the governor, who is the ex-officio chancellor of all state universities, and the state government.
“The department has refused to accept the legitimacy of the officiating VCs engaged by the chancellor. So whenever the chancellor’s appointees will seek permission to hold any meeting, the permission will be denied. Why should the universities be made to suffer for a fight between the chancellor and the department?” said Chattopadhyay.
Education minister Bratya Basu had on March 23 accused the Bengal governor of not cooperating with the state government, be it on appointing interim VCs or full-term VCs through a search committee.
Parthapratim Roy, the general secretary of the Jadavpur University Teachers’ Association, alleged that the state government was trying to stop the career advancement scheme by misquoting the West Bengal Universities (Control of Expenditure) Act 1976.
“Section 3 of the Act applies to paying an allowance. But allowance and the advancement scheme are two different things. The latter is guided by the UGC regulations and the concurrent government regulations,” said Roy.
An official of the state education department said the West Bengal State Universities (Terms and Conditions of Service of Vice-Chancellors and Manner and Procedure of Official Communication) Rules, 2019, underpin Monday’s advisory. “The rules have not been repealed. The department has acted according to the law,” he said.