Expert panel suggests CM’s inclusion in search committee

Kolkata: The eight-member expert committee constituted for reviewing the recent University Grants Commission (UGC) draft has recommended the inclusion of the Chief Minister or his/her representative in the search committee for recruitment of vice-chancellors (V-Cs) in both state and central universities across the country.

The expert committee submitted its report on Thursday which proposed a five-member committee rather than three for vice-chancellor appointment.

It should have one representative of the Chancellor or the Visitor or the President of India (for central university), a representative of UGC, a representative of the V-C of the concerned university, the Chief Minister or his/ her

representative and another one of the Union Education or Agriculture (in case of agriculture universities) minister.

The CM’s representative should be there as the identification of land and the construction of a university takes place under the supervision of the state government.

“The report submitted by the committee will be sent to the Chief Minister and after discussing with her, it will be sent to the UGC,” said Bratya Basu, state Education minister.

He called the guidelines for V-C appointment undemocratic and undermining the federal structure of the constitution. He accused the UGC of attempting to remove the Chief Minister, who is an elected representative, from the recruiting panel. Basu pointed out education is in the concurrent list of the Indian Constitution.

The committee that has Debnarayan Banerjee,

advisor of the state Higher Education department, Om Prakash Mishra of Jadavpur University, Sabuj Chowdhury of Calcutta University, Registrar of Presidency University Debajyoti Konar among others have raised objections in 10 issues in connection with Draft UGC (Minimum Standards of Instruction for the Grant of Undergraduate Degree and Postgraduate Degree) Regulations, 2024’, that was published on December 4.

When it comes to the eligibility of V-Cs, the committee decided that nobody from beyond the education sector should be appointed as V-C.