Our universities are starved of funds today. Eminent people from systems outside the universities, such as representatives of industry bodies or the services sector, may need to understand the ethos of a university before they deliver on its objectives. (Illustration by C R Sasikumar)
Jan 13, 2025 07:16 IST First published on: Jan 13, 2025 at 07:16 IST
The UGC’s recent draft regulations — Minimum Qualifications for Appointment and Promotion of Teachers and Academic Staff in Universities and Colleges and Measures for Maintenance of Standards in Higher Education — attempt to represent the objectives of the National Education Policy (NEP). They also seek to remove ambiguities in the selection process for the post of Vice-Chancellor (VC) as well as open up the position for non-academics.
The VC’s post is central to the functioning of a university. As the academic and administrative head of the university, he/she chairs the council of the university, the board of faculties and the finance committee of the university. The VC represents the university externally, both within and overseas. He/she is also responsible for securing the university’s financial base and making it robust enough to allow the delivery of the institution’s mission, aims and objectives. The mandate of this post is the creation of knowledge for humanity/universe — the term “university” derives from this objective. Peter Mathieson, VC, University of Edinburgh, once summed up this imperative aptly: “Universities are not just about learning. They are about creating knowledge, questioning the status quo, and making the world a better place through research and education.”
The regulation clears ambiguities in the formation of the search-cum-selection committee to appoint VCs. Such powers are now vested in the Governor-Chancellors or Visitors. Earlier, the government would seek the nominee of the Governor-Chancellor from a list of three names it supplied. The Governor-Chancellor will now nominate his representative. A UGC nominee was always a part of the search panel which is as it should be, since the maintenance of the quality/academic standards is its mandate. The third member will be nominated by the apex body of the university like the Management Council or Senate. These bodies may have representatives with affiliations to the ruling party in the state. However, state governments have been complaining that they are left with no voice in the selection of the VC.
In recent times, the VC’s post has attracted controversy in some states. Some state governments have tried to replace the Governor-Chancellor with a Chief
Minister-Chancellor. This turn of events is ironic because the President of India and the Governors were given this role to keep politics out.
Regarding the opening up of the post of VC to non-academics, one cannot but be reminded of the Kalyani Mathivanan vs State (2015) case in which the Madras High Court famously remarked: “Today, Albert Einstein cannot be appointed as the Vice Chancellor of any University in India, unless he fulfils the qualifications prescribed by the regulator”. Flexibility in appointment processes is therefore an imperative. At the same time, this should not lead to a scenario where the “eminence” of the post may be contested. To avoid such situations, the draft proposes that industry experts, public sector veterans, and senior administrators or experienced professionals can be directly appointed as VCs. This is a bold move. However, resisting interference by vested interests could be a challenge.
A search committee for the selection of a VC in a US university consists of participants in the university’s processes — senior administrators like provosts, deans, faculty representatives, staff members, even students (occasionally) and trustees or board members. In the UK, a search committee typically has university governors/trustees, senior university leaders, such as Pro-VCs, Deputy VCs, faculty representatives and external advisors or search firms. Faculty and even students are a part of the search committee paving the way for a most inclusive and transparent search mechanism.
Institutions like the Massachusetts Institute of Technology or Stanford University are multifaceted and deeply impactful, though it’s worth noting that these universities primarily use the title of Chancellor or President to refer to the highest executive leadership. Here, the board of trustees form a search committee that engages with various university constituencies to develop a list of qualifications and desired qualities in a new president, then consults with all stakeholders, and identifies suitable candidates. This involves formal interviews conducting background checks and making assessments. It’s also worth noting that in the US or the UK, there are no regulators who set standards for such appointments.
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Some other provisions of the draft regulations are forward-looking. Waiving the requirement of clearing the UGC-NET examination for an entry-level assistant professor’s post in technical institutions for instance. A ME or Mtech degree with at least 55 per cent marks would suffice. Removing the cap on contract teacher appointments is in line with the NEP’s objectives and must be welcomed. This could help fill up the large number of vacancies in several of the country’s universities.
As members of a progressive society, we share the education minister’s optimism on these regulations. However, we may need to pause and ponder if we are in sync with the best practices in the world. Our universities are starved of funds today. Eminent people from systems outside the universities, such as representatives of industry bodies or the services sector, may need to understand the ethos of a university before they deliver on its objectives. At the same time, they could help bring in a professional perspective and facilitate the creation of endowments. The challenge for vice-chancellors today — in whatever way he/she is selected — is to help raise the research bar and help in internationalisation. That could help raise the position of our universities and place them among the best in the world. We hope these regulations will help in that pursuit.
Thakur is former Secretary Education GoI and Mantha is former Chairman, AICTE
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