National convention on higher edu held at

While attending the ‘National Convention on Higher Education: Crisis and Challenges’, state Education minister on Wednesday said that after the session is over, they will consult Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on whether the Bill passed in the Assembly paving way for the CM to be made chancellor of state universities can be asked to return.

He further said that if it is allowed, the state government will again present it at the state Assembly and pass it with the same resolution. The Supreme Court recently sent a strong message that governors should return Bills they do not agree to ‘as soon as possible’ and not sit over them, making state legislative Assemblies wait indefinitely. Basu on Wednesday claimed that it is going to be a year.

The state government has been disappointed over Governor C V Ananda Bose’s recent attempts to allegedly bypass the state’s higher education department and reach out to the vice-chancellors of state universities directly. Furthermore, Basu had earlier commented that there is an unprecedented interference in higher education. He also said that the department is planning to approach the apex court.

The convention, held at University Institute Hall in College Square, with a hall full of professors and academicians, had a line of speakers including Education minister, former V-C of Bankura University Deb Narayan Bandopadhyay, former V-C of Vidyasagar University Ranjan Chakrabarti, poet Subodh Sarkar, former UGC secretary RK Chauhan, former PVC of Kalyani University Gautam Pal, former UGC member Yogendra Yadav, former VC of NBU Omprakash Mishra.