With No Financial Powers, HECI Will Have Lesser Prominence: Kerala University Teachers

The provision of Advisory Council in the Draft prepared by MHRD to replace UGC with HECI, will be the route for ideological interference and political hood winking, said a teachers body from Kerala University. In a response prepared by Kerala University Teachers Organisation (KUTO) regarding Centre's decision to scrap the UGC, the teachers called this provision as most objectionable aspect of HECI. The teachers' organisation also said the new commission will have lesser prominence with absence of financial powers. The HRD Ministry had in last week announced its decision to replace the University Grants Commission (UGC) with the Higher Education Commission of India (HECI) by repealing the UGC Act, 1951.

According to KUTO, the idea of the advisory council is chaired by the MHRD minister is objectionable.

"The role of the government and the legislature is omnipresent when the act is in force. Why should there be government presence over and above that?," the organisation asked.

The teachers expressed their apprehensions by saying the 'Autonomy' provision mentioned in the Draft can be a mask to legitimize and enable profit-motivated 'educational' institutions.

 "The proposed act institutionalizes autonomy at the highest level and we see a danger in it, especially in view of the other concerns we raise... If we were to choose, we would choose autonomy for HECI itself and the Universities and public funded HEIs. We fear, instead, red carpet will be rolled out to profiteering intuitions," the organisation said.

While KUTO welcomed the provisions which ensure that the chairpersons and members shall be eminent academicians, it expressed its dismay over the Draft is silent on reservation in commission membership. 

"We seriously feel that reservation for women and marginalized should be specified in the act," it said.

The organisation questioned the sanctity of the Draft by complaining that the MHRD website provides the draft act, but no background note is made available.

"In the past, structural reforms were preceded by commissions which made thorough study of the scenario and built a convincing case for reforms... In the absence of confirmation of the above, we deem the draft act as not having the sanctity required of it, to be placed before the nation," it said.

Academicians Give Thumbs Down To Centre's Move To Scrap UGC

Earlier, Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan had also come out against the Centre's decision and with this move, he said in a Facebook post, the government's aim is to restrict the role of the states in matters relating to the education sector. The Centre's 'unilateral' decision to do away with the apex higher education regulator will lead to far-reaching repercussions in the field of higher education, he said.

Feedback deadline extended

The HRD Ministry, on Thursday extended the deadline for receiving feedback and suggestions from stakeholders on scrapping of the UGC and draft bill for replacing it with the Higher Education Commission for India.

Student Bodies Slam Government's UGC Move

The decision to extend the deadline was taken following representations from various quarters. Union HRD minister Prakash Javadekar announced at a press conference on July 5 about the deadline extension till July 20.

HRD clarification on grants

After the uproar over the move, the Ministry of HRD has clarified that no such final decision has yet been taken to shift the grant function to the Ministry even though the recommendation about separating the Regulator and grant-giving entity has been made by many an expert committee in the past, and is rooted in sound principles of Governance.

New Higher Education Commission Will Increase Government's Direct Interference: DUTA

"The Government is keen to ensure that the grant-giving process shall be purely merit-based, online, objective system that assures both transparency and efficiency with least human interface," HRD said in a statement.

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