JNUTA PRESS RELEASE – July 2, 2018
The JNU Teachers’ Association (JNUTA) had an open house on 2 July 2018 to discuss the Higher Education Commission of India draft legislation placed in the public domain by the Ministry of Human Resource Development for public opinion. JNU faculty members were of the view that while the proposed legislation aims at creating a new mega institutional structure in the form of a regulating authority in the field of higher education, it fails to identify the problems with the existing institutional structure – the University Grants Commission (UGC). The draft legislation is based on the rationale of the changing needs of education but does not articulate what are these needs are. There was a unanimous sense that there appears to be a lack of inclination to improve the existing UGC and a hurried attempt to move to an alternative institutional structure. The new draft legislation makes no value addition to the existing UGC Act of 1956 and in fact is a step backwards as its functions over emphasize on monitoring. Apart from its function of distribution of grants, the UGC Act had specific provisions for wide consultations with universities. Further, in its own bodies, including the advisory body, more representation was given to the academic community. The proposed Act will result in centralizing the function of grant distribution in the hands of the Ministry. It also does away with the consultative procedures that were in place under the existing Act. The new institution is a move towards extreme centralization of powers with the MHRD, and will destroy the existing institutional flexibility that allows for accommodation of the diversity of the federal educational structure of India. The proposed structure of the HECI is bureaucratic and rigid, with no provisions for the representation of socially, economically and regionally marginalized sections.
JNUTA demands that the Ministry should give more time for public response on a proposal that is designed to bring such sweeping changes that will impact a large number of students and teachers as well as the future of the country. The Ministry should try to build a consensus on this crucial issue by involving universities, teachers’ and students’ representative bodies, civil society organizations and other groups which have been working in the field of education. JNUTA will soon submit a detailed response to the University as well as to the Ministry.
JNUTA demands that the Ministry should give more time for public response on a proposal that is designed to bring such sweeping changes that will impact a large number of students and teachers as well as the future of the country. The Ministry should try to build a consensus on this crucial issue by involving universities, teachers’ and students’ representative bodies, civil society organizations and other groups which have been working in the field of education. JNUTA will soon submit a detailed response to the University as well as to the Ministry.
Sonajharia Minz Sudhir K Suthar
President Secretary
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