UGC reform on hold
for higher education, the prevailing “confusion over a policy decision” in the MHRD has prevented the government from reaching any substantive solution.
A source close to the MHRD told The Sunday Guardian: “The MHRD has dropped the idea of creating a single regulatory body to replace the UGC. The ministry will instead attempt to make some cosmetic changes in the existing regulatory bodies like UGC and AICTE during its remaining tenure.”
“The MHRD started working on a 40-point action plan for revamping the UGC, which it had announced in April this year. Also, the MHRD ministry has stopped any further deliberations on HEERA,” the same source cited above said.
“Both the UGC and AICTE have now been asked by the ministry to draw up a list of changes they need in their respective Acts and regulations in order to become more effective regulators,” the source mentioned above added.
However, teachers of Delhi University (DU) have blamed the MHRD of being “confused over the issue of UGC reforms”.
Rajesh Jha, executive council member of DU, said, “Confusion over UGC reforms is leading MHRD to nowhere. Initially, the Centre had proposed creating the Higher Education Funding Agency (HEFA), and it had gone on to announce as much in its 2017-18 budget. Later, the ministry proposed the Higher Education Empowerment Regulation Agency in 2018 to replace the UGC, but none of these two proposals could reach the logical conclusion.”
The Modi government, however, is not the first to mull the creation of a single education regulator. Earlier, Kapil Sibal, the HRD minister in the United Progressive Alliance-II government, had also tried to bring a similar regulatory body to replace the UGC, but had failed to do anything on that front.
While the idea of UGC reforms is still in an incubation period, HRD Minister Prakash Javadekar on Thursday announced the qualification norms and policy for the appointment of university teachers. According to the new norms, a PhD degree will be mandatory for direct recruitment to the post of assistant professors in universities from 2021-22. The possibility of another round of reshuffle of the Narendra Modi Cabinet in the immediate future has subsided considerably. Sources said that the exercise has now been postponed to the latter part of August.
According to highly placed sources, a recuperating Arun Jaitley has strictly been advised bed rest till the end of July, by the medicos, post operation. So, his non-availability for resuming as Finance Minister before August is said to be one of the main reasons behind the delay.
Moreover, sources said that Shah’s persistent efforts to cement ties with NDA partners like Shiv Sena and Janata Dal United by doling out ministerial berths to them is not working out well, nor has he been able to win over new friends to expand the alliance.
Recent developments like reverses in Karnataka, debacles in the byelections and widespread resentment in the country over high petro prices seem to have blunted the otherwise upbeat mood of the party rank and file.
Some suggest that with too many jobs in hand and not much time left, Prime Minister Modi may not even go for a reshuffle in his first term. That will also give party national president Amit Shah ample time for organisational work and to prepare for the Assembly elections in four states later this year.
Shah is going to take up major organisational changes in some states like Rajasthan, Delhi, Odisha, etc. Though the leadership change went smoothly in Madhya Pradesh, same is not the case with Rajasthan and Delhi units.