Private universities’ bloc now opposes very idea of regulator

WHOLE HOG Earlier, varsities had a problem with only some clauses of proposed law to have regulatory body; at latest meeting, they challenge the proposal itself

CHANDIGARH: The proposal of Punjab’s Congress government to constitute a regulatory body to monitor functioning of private institutes faced fresh resistance from the universities that opposed the very idea, at a meeting with ministers here on Wednesday. Earlier, the private universities were opposed only to the plan to cap the fee and number of seats.

In the meeting of the cabinet sub-committee about the plan, all private universities unanimously said any regulator would have the “worst impact”. The meeting was chaired by the subcommittee head, health minister Brahm Mohindra, at Punjab B haw an where chancellor so fall private universities operating in Punjab and representatives of government universities too participated. Technical education minister Charanjit Channi and education minister Aruna Chaudhary also attended as members of the sub-committee.

The private universities challenged the regulatory body as “unconstitutional”, citing an order of the Himachal Pradesh high court on a similar body there. It must, however, be noted that the HC order quashing the regulatory body has since been stayed by the Supreme Court on an appeal by the state government .“We are not against making a pro-student environment in the institutes of Punjab ,” stressed Satnam Sandhu, chancellor of Chandigarh University, while speaking with HT after the meeting .“But, before making any such regulatory authority, the government must keep in mind that in Him ac hal, the only state to have a regulatory body, theirHC had termed this body a sun cons ti- tutional. Punjab must study the model of the hilly state where many institutes closed after the body came into existence seven years back.”

‘ALREADY REGULATED’

Chancellor of another university situated in Do ab a said, on the condition of anonymity, that the state’s move would affect private universities “the way industrial packages given to Him ac hal have led to shifting of industry from Punjab”. “If seats are capped through the regulatory body, private universities working in Punjab would not get a level-playing fields. How will we compete with states where there is no cap- ping?” he asked. “Moreover, before becoming private universities, we were running colleges; the reason we chose to become universities was to get autonomy. Any regulator at the state level is an attack on our autonomy.”

The universities have contended that their functioning is already being monitored by “so many bodies” of the Union government, such as the University Grants Commission. “We have regulations of the UGC that does inspections. For every course we run, we have councils formed by the Union government. When everything is already under supervision, how does this body make a difference?” the chancellor from Doaba further said.

SOME ACTUALLY WANT IT, TO FIGHT MONOPOLY

Sources said there were some chancellors who refrained from speaking against the proposed law to have a regulatory body for private universities. And, thus, there’s a counter-view. “Some private universities even want capping of the seats to end the monopoly of two or three big players who are calling the shots at present in the education business. They are of the opinion that a regulatory body may provide all universities a level-playing field,” a minister who was part of the meeting told HT.

Sources in the government have told HT that some private universities exerted pressure to def er the proposal, and the formation of the cabinet sub-committee was a result of that.

All government-run universities representatives have hailed the proposal. “The regulatory body is the need of the hour as our private as well as government institutes must live up to the changing demands as per needs of the industry,” said Channi.