Campus takeover

Uttar Pradesh Governor Romesh Bhandari has taken a dim view of the state government's move to reduce the Governor's say in the appointment o...

Uttar Pradesh Governor Romesh Bhandari has taken a dim view of the state government8217;s move to reduce the Governor8217;s say in the appointment of university vice-chancellors and executive council members. The nation has traditionally taken a very dim view of Bhandari and sympathy with the government would come naturally to it. But setting aside Bhandari8217;s talent for rendering himself disagreeable, it must be borne in mind that in this case, the government is seeking to set a precedent which will have negative implications for the system of higher education all over the country. Vice-chancellors are appointed by and answerable to the governor who also happens to be the Chancellor. Their candidacy is proposed by the state government. The system ensures that they are acceptable both to the Chancellor and the state government. Many of India8217;s founding fathers earned their political spurs at university and were, therefore, acutely aware of the importance of campus politics. They realised that the state government could not be allowed to have a decisive say in appointing heads of educational institution.

Now, if the Kalyan Singh Government is able to outstare Bhandari, it will literally take over the system of higher education in Uttar Pradesh. The party in power in Lucknow can decide who gets to teach at university. Thus, and by laying down syllabi that it considers acceptable, it can dictate what is to be taught, even if it is more akin to propaganda or historical revisionism than education. At a time when a fairly large population expresses an interest in either editing the historical record or dabbling in social engineering, this makes for a dangerous precedent. Equally disquieting is the implication that the leading student organisations will inevitably be those sponsored by the ruling party. On campus, the writ of the ruling party will run unchallenged. Its agenda relating to education and youth will be a self-fulfilling prophecy and there will be no room for alternative points of view. States ruled by parties across the political spectrum have recently been faced with changes in education policy that have less to do with education per se than with ideology. History texts have proven to be particularly vulnerable, and the medium of education has also been a contentious issue. So far, however, only lower education has been affected by such politicking. Now, the UP government8217;s move promises to take the battle for hearts and minds to the campuses.

The issue is of particular significance because the campus is an important training ground for the future political class. This is where the next generation of politicians acquires its orientation and takes its first serious ideological decisions. If campuses come to be ruled by a single ideology, if articles of faith become absolute, then they would cease to be politically useful institutions. By taking control, Kalyan Singh may well make momentary gains but in the long run, he will create a situation in which his party 8212; or any party, for that matter 8212; will be unable to recruit an adequate number of mature second-level politicians. For once, it would be wise to ignore a very natural reluctance to side with Romesh Bhandari and appreciate the value of his arguments.