New Delhi: The University Grants Commission’s draft regulations 2025 has drawn sharp reactions from not just the Kerala and Tamil Nadu governments, but also the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party’s own ally, the Janata Dal (United).
Union education minister Dharmendra Pradhan released the draft regulations on January 6. They had rules on requisite experience and accomplishments needed for appointments and growth in various positions across high-education institutions.
The draft has a new selection process for Vice-Chancellors of universities – which allows Chancellors i.e. state governors who are Union government appointees to have a bigger say in appointing them. This is being seen as a fresh attempt by the Narendra Modi government to strike at federalism and reduce the power of states.
The Kerala assembly on January 21 unanimously adopted a resolution calling for the immediate withdrawal of the draft UGC rules and urged the Union government to review them.
It also called for consultations with state governments, scholars and other stakeholders.
Kerala is the second state after Tamil Nadu to adopt such a resolution. Tamil Nadu chief minister M.K. Stalin had urged other states to pass resolutions as well, South First has reported, adding that Stalin called the current draft “oppressive.”
In the note addressed to INDIA bloc chief ministers, he wrote: “I am writing to bring to your attention a matter of great importance regarding the recently issued UGC guidelines that restrict the role of State Governments in the appointment of Vice-Chancellors and certain administrative admission procedures, including the introduction of entrance exams for UG and PG courses in Universities.”
Now, the JD(U) under Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar has criticised it for curbing the role of an elected state government in the field of higher education.
Speaking to The Indian Express, JD(U) national spokesperson Rajiv Ranjan Prasad said, “Every political party has a roadmap. Higher education is an important part of that. By limiting the role of elected governments in the appointment of Vice-Chancellors, the efforts of the state government in the field of education will be discouraged to a great extent. We have not read the draft of the UGC regulations, but the things that are coming out in the media show that some amendments to that may be needed.”
The newspaper also quoted the national spokesperson of another National Democratic Alliance ally, Telugu Desam Party. “We do not wish to politicise this issue,” Deepak Reddy told the paper.
