Educationists In Bengal Concerned Over Reshuffle In Panel To Appoint VCs In State Universities

Educationists in West Bengal have expressed disappointment over the state government’s latest circular that omits the inclusion of university representative in the panel to appoint Vice-Chancellors.

The West Bengal Government has issued a fresh notice reshuffling the search committees for the appointment of Vice-Chancellors in State Universities. However, the move has left academicians in the state disappointed. Drawing ire from academicians from across the state is the fact that the Bengal government’s latest circular misses upon the provision for 

Academicians of the state are distressed over the exclusion of the provision to have a representative from the concerned state university in the panel. The new notification proposes to include a representative nominated by the Chief minister, in the five-member panel. The circular also stipulates to include one member in the panel recommended by the Education Department of the state, one by the state Higher Education Council, one by the University Grants Commission (UGC) and one by the Governor, who by virtue of the post, is also the Chancellor of all universities in the state. 

As per Calcutta University Teachers Association (CUTA) general secretary Sanatan Chattopadhyay, the new panel without any representative from the university concerned is certain to grapple with legal hurdles, similar to the previous committee which had no representative from the UGC. 

“The UGC proposal speaks in support of the inclusion of a representative from the state university concerned in the search panel. Moreover, this decision for the omission for the provision for having a representative from the state university concerned in the panel is an attack on the autonomy of the universities,” the CUTA general secretary was quoted as saying by news agency IANS. 

Similarly, Jadavpur University Teachers Association (JUTA) general secretary Partha Paratim Roy is of the view that the constitution of the new search committee only furthers the numerical supremacy of the state government, allowing it to easily forward politically-motivated decisions. “The proposals of UGC regarding formation of search committees have been totally ignored in this ordinance. We strongly condemn the decision,” Roy was reported further as saying. 

Expressing his views on the matter, Economist Probir Kumar Mukhopadhyay has said that the state government’s move pitching in such a committee is whimsical considering the fact that the university concerned for which the Vice-Chancellor is to be appointed will have no say in the appointment process. 

“This is surely done with a political motive and is an attack on the autonomy of the state universities. In the previous system following in the Left Front rule, which was also followed by the current Trinamool Congress regime in the first three years of its tenure since 2011, the state government official had no role in vice chancellor appointment.

“Then the three- member search committees had one representative of the UGC, one from the state university concerned and one nominated by the Governor. I am not against the state government having its own representative in the search committee. But that should not be at the cost of a representative from the state university concerned,”Mukhopadhyay was reported as saying. 

Santanu Basu, a professor at a college under the Calcutta University said that the UGC’s proposal also seeks the inclusion of an independent educationist as a member in the panel. “The new proposal remains silent on that matter,” Basu said. 

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