Varsities split over move to grant more autonomy
The government on Tuesday announced that it will grant autonomy to 60 highereducation institutions. The list included several top central and state universities. HT spoke to their administration and students:
NEW DELHI:
JNU, DELHI
The left-leaning JNU teachers’ association (JNUTA) criticised the move and said the policy will promote commercialisation and privatisation.
“This is also a step towards withdrawal of the state from its responsibility of providing easily accessible higher education to all sections of the society, especially the marginalised groups,” Sonajharia Minz, president of the JNUTA, said.
Reflecting the divide, Amita Singh, a professor , welcomed the move. “New courses will be started without any pressure from political groups. This will also increase employment for meritorious students...” she said.
BHU, VARANASI
The decision to grant autonomy evoked mixed reactions.
BN Rai, a professor of IITBHU said, “This is a great decision. It has opened the door for designing and initiating needbased short-term courses which will help in generating employment opportunities. ”
Prof Champa Singh of the department of Hindi said, “The more autonomy will give rise to nepotism in giving incentive based emoluments to the faculty.”
AMU, ALIGARH
Students and teachers think academic autonomy is meaningless without financial and administrative autonomy.
Professor Shafey Qidwai said, “AMU administration and teachers welcome the autonomy …but any higher education institution will not be benefited till it is granted financial and administrative autonomy too.”
AMU student union secretary Mohd Fahad said, “Though I have not seen details of the autonomy but as AMU is an institution of national importance, it should get full autonomy.”
Former president of AMU Teachers Association(AMUTA) Razaulah Khan said , “AMU was autonomous always but now things have been made clear and now the university must embark upon a developmental path ...”
SYMBIOSIS, PUNE
The staff and students welcomed the decision.
“This will give us a lot of autonomy to start new programmes, off-campus centers, collaborations with foreign universities, etc... Further, because of category 1 status, good teaching faculty, is expected to join us,” pro-chancellor Vidya Yeravdekar said.
Tejas Kumar, student body president at the Symbiosis Institute of Business Management said, “While the autonomy ensures more academic and administrative freedom, it also means that the students will now have better opportunities lined up, both nationally and internationally...”
DR DY PATIL VIDYAPEETH, PUNE
The teachers and students hoped the move will boost the institute’s plans to modernise its curriculum.
“While we will be making no changes in the fees, the agenda following this declaration is to completely dedicate ourselves to provide academic enhancement to the students,” said PN Razdan, vice chancellor.
Piyali Deshmukh, a student of Biotechnology said the autonomous tag put the Vidyapeeth among the top institutions. “Now we hope to get much better facilities, foreign faculty, national and international exposure...” she said.
UOH, HYDERABAD University of Hyderabad (UoH) spokesperson Prof Vinod Pavarala said, “Though we have already been enjoying autonomy in terms of having our own curriculum, we had been looking up to the UGC for introduction of new courses at the post-graduate level. Now, we don’t have to take permission to do that.” Ambedkar Students’ Union leader and research scholar Sannaki Munna, expressed apprehensions that the autonomy would affect marginalised sections.
JADAVPUR UNIVERSITY, KOLKATA
Vice-chancellor Suranjan Das, said the decision was a recognition of JU’s excellence. But the left-leaning Jadavpur University Teachers’ Association (JUTA) is apprehensive about the move.
“There is no word about administrative and financial autonomy... The salary of teachers and non-teaching staff is paid by the state government. It is not clear how the institution would work independent of government interventions,” said Nandini Mukherjee, assistant secretary of JUTA.