DUTA Press Release: 20 October 2018

The  sinister move by the Government to amend the DU Act to include provisions of the ESMA was part of a design to stifle criticism of and protest against the Government policy to commercialize and privatize higher education and to downgrade the teaching profession.

The Minister’s private communication by email, copies of which are circulating, and the subsequent tweet by the MHRD Secretary that the working group constituted for this purpose by the UGC as per MHRD letter was being disbanded are significant. In response to our collective reaction to the Government’s move, the MHRD Secretary had initially denied that there was any such proposal. Moreover, the letter issued by the UGC as per MHRD letter should be formally withdrawn.

This is a success of our collective voice. It is also an occasion to renew our resolve to fight for public-funded higher education and democratic spaces within universities. The Government has not yet admitted its folly in thrusting CCS Conduct Rules on the universities which are antithetical to the very idea of a university. Hence, all those who value education must remain watchful to not allow the destruction of universities and muzzling of the voice of the university community.