The Gujarat University and other universities in the state voiced against the controversial higher education bill that was passed in the state budget session in a discussion on Sunday at the hall of Knowledge Consortium Of Gujarat (KCG). They alleged that the BJP government wanted to 'snatch' the autonomy of the universities and demanded to withdraw the bill.

Grievances would be addressed: Chairperson of the drafting committee, A U Patel

In the discussion chaired by the noted educationists Sanjay Bhave, Rohit Shukla, Bharat Mehta, Hemantkumar Shah, Jayesh Patel, Bhavik Raja, Rimmi Vaghela, Manish Doshi and Pankaj Shrimali, the former vice chancellor of Gujarat University A U Patel, who was the chairperson of the drafting committee, assured that the grievance would be addressed once the government frames rules for the proposed Act.

Members of the council:

According to the Bill, the chief minister would be the president of the council with education minister as the vice-president and MoS for education as the co-vice-president. The other members would be five vice chancellors of state universities.

Prime objective of the Bill:

One of the main objectives of the Bill was "to carry out effective monitoring of the academic/administrative/financial performance of the universities and affiliated colleges and to recommend remedial measures for better performance".

Chairperson of drafting committee and former vice chancellor A U Patel says:

A U Patel told the Indian Express, "Yes I have listened them today. And they have many apprehensions regarding the Bill on issues like autonomy of the universities, transfer of staff from one university to another, and the council taking away universities' land? I have assured them that almost all of it will be quelled once the rules and regulations for the (proposed) Act are formulated."

"The council is not going to take any decision that will supersede the university Act. Also, if the state government is giving hundreds of acres of land for universities, can it take back from the universities?"

"Under the guidelines of University Grants Commission and Rashtriya Uchchhatar Shiksha Abhiyan, UGC will be giving grants through the council. And we could have lost significant grants, if the council Bill was not passed by April 1," Patel said. "VCs were consulted when the Bill was being conceptualised," he added.

Voice of the the president of Gujarat State SC/ST Professors' Association Pankaj Shrimali:

The president of Gujarat State SC/ST Professors' Association Pankaj Shrimali said that the program was organised to highlight the consequence after the council came into existence

"Also, the Bill is lacking in so many aspects. Reservation for example; there is no provision of reservation in formation of the Council. The issue of social welfare is not there at all in the objects of the Bill and even in the formation of the Council, the Secretary of Social Welfare department does not find place." she added.



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