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Rahul Gandhi Joins Protest Against UGC Draft Rules

Rahul Gandhi

On Thursday, the DMK’s student wing staged a protest at Delhi’s Jantar Mantar against the University Grants Commission (UGC) draft regulations.

Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi, Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav and DMK MP Kanimozhi Karunanidhi were present at the protest.

Addressing the gathering, Gandhi said: “I want to tell the Tamil youngsters that this (UGC draft rules) is not only an educational move… It is an attempt by the RSS to attack your history, your tradition, your language,” Gandhi said.

Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav said he supported the DMK and its student wing’s protest against the New Education Policy.” Powers of the states shouldn’t be taken away…,” he said.

On Wednesday, 6 opposition-ruled states, including Karnataka, Kerala, Telangana, Jharkhand, Himachal Pradesh, and Tamil Nadu, passed a resolution against the draft rules introduced by Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan in January.

In the joint resolution, the ministers raised multiple objections to the draft regulations and contended that the proposed rules violate the federal principles of governance.

Responding to the resolution, UGC Chairman M. Jagadesh Kumar said the new draft regulations “aim to ensure the highest standards in universities by introducing a more inclusive and transparent selection process.” He said they “seek to uphold the autonomy and accountability of higher education institutions.” He further said they welcome constructive feedback and would work collaboratively.

According to the fresh draft rules, A three-member panel headed by the Governor’s nominee will be formed to appoint the vice-chancellors.

Regulations notified by the University Grants Commission (UGC) in 2018 said that a search-cum-selection committee comprising eminent persons in higher education shall shortlist 3-5 candidates by public notification, nomination, a “talent search process”, or a combination of these processes. The Chancellor – or Visitor in a central university – appoints the VC from among the recommended names.

In the case of state and private universities, one member of the search-selection committee is nominated by the UGC Chairman. For state universities, the rest of the committee is constituted in accordance with state law.

According to Indian Express, the new regulations specify the composition of the committee: a member each nominated by the Visitor/ Chancellor, the UGC Chairman, and the apex body of the university (Senate/ Syndicate/ Executive Council)

Limiting the role of state governments in the appointment of vice-chancellors (VCs) of state universities.

If approved, the new regulations will give Governors who are ex-officio Chancellors of universities greater control over Vice-Chancellor selection.

The draft guidelines also warn that non-implementation may result in debarring an institution from participating in UGC schemes or from offering degree programmes.

Another key change in the draft regulations is that it is not mandatory for university Vice-Chancellors to be professors, but can be individuals at senior levels in industry, public policy, public administration, or public sector undertakings.

According to the Times of India, As per the existing guidelines, It was mandatory for  candidates to have degrees in the same subject across undergraduate, postgraduate, and PhD levels to qualify for teaching positions,

Under the proposed 2025 draft guidelines, candidates can teach subjects based on their highest academic specialization or NET/SET. The new draft regulations have also removed the cap on contract teacher appointments.

The 2018 regulations had limited such appointments to 10 per cent of an institution’s total faculty positions. The new rules will be finalised after the higher education regulator receives public feedback on the draft.

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