In another decision, the higher education minister, taking a cue from the agriculture universities, will now be the pro chancellor of all state public universities.
To date, the entire selection was free of governmental interference. The VC/ proVC search panel was headed by a governor’s nominee, one member was recommended by the management council and the third by the academic council. This committee invited applications, shortlisted aspirants, interviewed them and suggested five names to the chancellor who then picked one. It was always mentioned that the names were in no preferential order and all ought to be considered on par. Under the new order, this search panel will submit their list to Mantralaya which will pick two of those five and finally allow Raj Bhavan to choose one candidate.
Higher and technical education minister Uday Samant told TOI that these recommendations were made to the state by an expert panel under Sukhdev Thorat, former chairman of University Grants Commission. The panel was formed to suggest changes in the act for effective implementation of the National education policy. “The agricultural universities also have a post of Pro chancellor which is held by the agriculture minister. It was only the universities under the higher and technical education department which did not have the post,” said Samant. “Also, as far as the selection process of VC and pro VCs is concerned, we have followed the procedure that is in implementation in the central universities in which the selection panel sends its recommendations to the government which then sends it to the President,” Samant told TOI.
He said that there is no question of encroaching on the Governor’s rights. “The Governor is a constitutional post and there is no question about taking away its rights,” said Samant, who also said that the committee has made more recommendations that too will be taken up in a phase wise manner. The ties between MVA and the Governor BS Koshyari have been strained with the two differing on many issues–like the governor nominated seats in the legislative councils.
Educationist and former principal Anil Rao, condemned the decision of the state. “This is an unwarranted attack on the pre-supposed autonomy of academics. The chancellor is the apex authority and above all politics. Higher education should be completely autonomous and miles away from politics. Also, vested dubious interest will creep in with the decision to appoint the higher education minister as the pro chancellor.” Economist Abhya Pethe said, “
The amendments and ordinances that eroded university autonomy and reduced universities subservient to the government of the day was the order of governance of universities from the time of the Pune University Act of 1974 right up to 2009, stated a recent research paper titled, “Higher Education Policy in Maharashtra: education-politics nexus diluting the university authority”.
“If there was a running thread with respect to university governance, it was the systematic de-legitimisation and deinstitutionalisation, leaving universities no better than other government departments intended to serve the interests of the owners of the educational managements who were ministers in the government. It is doubtful if there is such over-centralisation of university functions and powers with the government in any other state,” said A Mathew, National Institute of Educational Planning and Administration.
The cabinet also took a decision to set up an equal opportunities board, Maratha language, literature conservation committee was also taken in the cabinet.
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( News Source :Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by Rashtra News staff and is published from a timesofindia.indiatimes.com feed.)
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