Opposing UGC’s draft regulations, ministers from 7 states to attend national conclave in Bengaluru tomorrow

Karnataka Higher Education Minister Dr M C Sudhakar, in a press release on Monday, confirmed the participation of ministers from Jammu & Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh, Jharkhand, Telangana, Tamil Nadu, Kerala and Karnataka. Chief Minister Siddaramaiah will inaugurate the event at 10.30 am, while Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar will attend as a special invitee.

Dr Sudhakar criticised the UGC’s proposed regulations, calling them a “severe assault” on the autonomy of state governments in the higher education sector. “The Centre, through the UGC, is attempting to curtail the constitutional powers of states by imposing centralised policies without consultation,” he alleged.

The conclave will deliberate on the possible responses if the Centre refuses to review the UGC’s modifications. The decisions taken at the event will be formally conveyed to both the Union government and the UGC.

“Decisions will be taken after consolidating the opinions of ministers of higher education of various states in this conclave. The agenda of the Conclave also includes measures to be adopted in the event of the Central Government not reviewing the modifications made by UGC. Hence this Conclave is being convened to discuss, deliberate and come to a common ground to voice our concerns against the regulations,” Dr Sudhakar said.

He added that regional parties allied with the National Democratic Alliance (NDA), including the Janata Dal (United), Telugu Desam Party (TDP), and Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas Paswan), have also expressed dissatisfaction over the issue but have been unable to voice strong opposition due to political compulsions. “The Union Minister for Higher Education will not be attending the conclave due to the upcoming elections in New Delhi,” Dr Sudhakar said.

The minister also emphasised the need to protect India’s federal structure and called the Centre’s unilateral approach to education governance “anti-constitutional.” He stressed that the conclave seeks to build consensus among state governments and safeguard their role in shaping higher education policies.

Earlier, on January 13 this year, Dr Sudhakar had written to Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan, raising strong objections to the draft UGC regulations 2025, particularly the provisions regarding the appointment of Vice-Chancellors.

The draft UGC guidelines, which are currently open for public consultation, propose sweeping changes to the process of appointing Vice-Chancellors. They recommend the formation of a search-cum-selection committee appointed solely by the Chancellor or Visitor, with no representation from the state government. The guidelines also vest the Chancellor/Visitor with exclusive powers to appoint Vice-Chancellors from the panel recommended by the committee. Further, they include provisions for nullifying Vice-Chancellor appointments made outside these prescribed rules.

In the letter, the minister emphasised that such provisions contradict state laws governing universities, particularly concerning the tenure and reappointment of Vice-Chancellors. The letter also highlighted concerns over the inclusion of non-academicians as eligible candidates for the role of Vice-Chancellor, calling for more deliberation on the matter.

The development comes when Karnataka moved to clip the powers of the governor after it passed a Bill in December 2024 to replace the Governor with the Chief Minister as the Chancellor of the Karnataka State Rural Development and Panchayati Raj University. The Bill is yet to receive the Governor’s assent.

In November 2024, the Karnataka Cabinet also decided to do the same for other state universities. The state higher education minister had said a draft Bill was in the works to amend the Karnataka State Universities Act to bring in critical administrative reforms in the 42 universities under the state government.