Delhi University makes fresh push for Central loans
AT LOGGERHEADS Faculty members, opposing the move, claim that HEFA loans will ‘privatise’ the university and lead to a fee hike
NEWDELHI: The Delhi University’s (DU) finance committee has approved a proposal that allows the varsity to apply for loans from the Higher Education Funds Agency (HEFA) — a body set up by the Centre to offer 10-year loans to public institutes for any infrastructure and re-developmental work. The nod for the proposal was given amid opposition by a section of committee members.
The proposal will now be sent for the approval of university’s executive council’s — top decision making body. The executive council had in September this year refused to sign a tripartite Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) on grants, of which proposal to apply for HEFA loans was a part. The Union government had later threatened to ‘withold’ its funds if the university didn’t sign the MOU.
The University’s administration has been at the loggerheads with its teachers association (DUTA) and members of its executive and academic councils ever since the human resource development (MHRD) had sent the tripartite MOU to all Central universities, including the DU, in October last year.
Faculty members have been protesting the proposal of replacing funds to educational institutions with loans through HEFA alleging that the move will ‘privatise’ the university and will lead to a ‘fee hike’.
According to some finance committee members, the proposal was introduced as a ‘reporting item’ — which means that the item is not to be discussed — during a meeting held on Thursday. “The matter was nowhere listed on the agenda for the meeting. It was suddenly raised as a reporting item by the administration’s representatives. The reporting items are directly sent to the executive council at the finance committee’s recommendations,” said Rajpal Singh, a finance committee member.
In the Mou—to be signed by the educational institutions with the Union ministry of human resources and the University Grants Commission (UGC) — universities have to mention the amount they wish to take as loan from the HEFA.
Another finance member, VK Agarwal, said that Thursday’s meeting was attended by two MHRD representatives. “The MHRD representatives said that there are misunderstandings among DU faculty members about the HEFA loan,” he said.
DU vice chancellor Yogesh Tyagi and registrar Tarun Das did not respond to requests to comment. Meanwhile, Rajesh Jha, an EC member said, “By pushing HEFA in the agenda of finance committee, the university administration has tried to shun debates with the stakeholders. HEFA will lead to steep fee hike as the loan from it has to be paid by the internal resources of the university.”