Universities Bill a bone of contention between teachers and politicians

Till now, the various government-run universities in the state have functioned as per the provisions of the Uttar Pradesh Universities Act, 1973. It was in May of this year that the state Government tabled a Bill exclusively meant for the universities in Uttarakhand. Several proposals in the Bill sparked a series of controversies. Following mayhem in the state Assembly, the Bill was referred to a select committee that was dominated by state Government members. The report of the committee was tabled in the Assembly on July 30 amid chaos.

Critics of the proposed Act say that despite being referred to the committee, the contentious issues remain unaddressed. Noted academician and former V-P of the Federation of Uttar Pradesh Universities/Colleges Teachers’ Association S K Kulshrestha asserts that under the proposed Act, it will be the state Government and not the state Governor (who is also the Chancellor) who will have a major say in the appointment of the vice-chancellors of the universities.

Kulshrestha says that the controversy surrounding the Uttarakhand Act is similar to the one reported in Rajasthan, where the Bill has been held by the Governor and has been referred to the President of India. He says that a similar course of events is also expected in Uttarakhand.

The second most contentious issue is the prohibition on the political involvement of teachers. This has led to uproar across the state. Leader of the opposition Harak Singh Rawat, who is himself a teacher, told The Indian Express, “If academicians can be trusted with writing research papers and books on sensitive issues like foreign policy and strategic affairs, where lies the harm if they enter politics? In fact, it is healthy for a democracy if the intellectual class participates in the political activities. The state Government is just furthering the agenda of the RSS by bringing about this Act.”

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