He said that these regulations threaten the autonomy of universities and aim to centralise higher education. Academic freedom must be protected,' CM Vijayan wrote in a post on X. State governments have since raised objections, calling them 'an attack on the idea of federalism. Kerala Higher Education Minister R Bindu, elected representatives from Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, and Telangana, and leaders of various political organisations participated in the conference.
During the discussion, the leaders raised objections to the draft UGC regulations, which 'curtail the federal structure of the country by diminishing the role of the state and increasing central authority in matters related to state universities. The demands raised by the concerned ministers entail that the state governments' role remains intact in determining the administrative aspects of the universities. Never in the history of the state universities has the UGC completely taken over the right to constitute the search-cum-selection committee to appoint VCs.
The higher education regulator must desist from such authoritarian measures,' the convention declared. The leaders also demanded that the proposal to appoint VCs without academic credentials be withdrawn. This can only be viewed as a violation of the legislative mandate that the UGC act confers upon it,' the demand charter read. Urging the UGC to 'honour the rights of the state governments', the leaders pressed that the directions to impose New Education Policy NEP and threatening action against violators was 'dictatorial'.
UGC must honour the states' right to legislate by putting restraints on its own unbridled authority,' the convention said.
ISSN : Over 40 people killed in Mali mine collapse. US Navy aircraft carrier collides with merchant ship near Egypt. Trump moves to deliver on promise to end Ukraine war. US drops website wording on not supporting Taiwan independence. Read This Next. Big News Network.
