CHENNAI: With the recent introduction of a Bill to replace the University Grants Commission (UGC), the All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE) and the National Council for Teacher Education (NCTE) as a single body, evokes opposition in Tamil Nadu as the academicians and experts say the new legislation will take away the power of state governments.
At present, UGC monitors non-technical higher education, the AICTE controls technical education, and the NCTE is the regulatory body for teachers' education.
Though the Centre is proposing to set up a single higher education regulator titled Viksit Bharat Shiksha Adhikshan (VBSA), medical and law colleges will not be brought under its radar. The VBSA will be handling three major roles, such as regulation, accreditation and setting professional standards.
However, educationists in Tamil Nadu strongly oppose the VBSA, which was replaced by the Higher Education Commission of India (HECI) Bill of 2018 based on the National Education Policy (NEP-2020), the proposed move of the Centre could lead to closure of institutions in rural areas, and privatisation will emerge in the Higher Educational Institutions (HEIs).
"It is clear from the plain reading of the Constitution of India that the provision to establish, regulate and wind-up universities is placed in the State list", PB Prince Gajendra Babu, general secretary, State Platform for Common School System – Tamil Nadu (SPCSS-TN) told DT Next.
Pointing out various aspects in the VBSA, he said, “It clearly explains that the power of the union is restricted to coordination and setting up of standards in higher education and regulations of universities which are established and administered by the state governments do not come under the ambit of the Union”.
"The Bill violates the vision and the provisions of the Constitution of India," he said, adding, “the members of the Parliament must not allow such blatant violation.”
Alleging that the VBSA Bill will spoil the ‘whole higher educational institutions’ in the country, P Thirunavukkarasu, vice-chairman, Association of University Teachers (AUT), said, "the proposed plan by the Centre will have only one head, who cannot attend all the issues of the state.”
“The salaries, accounts and increments of the faculty members, which were taken care of by UGC, AICTE and NCTE, will be severely affected,” he added.
Echoing similar views of the educationists, a senior Higher Education official, seeking anonymity, said, "already, there are funding issues with UGC, AICTE and NCTE, and if this VBSA (as a single entity) is implemented, it will affect all the state-run universities and colleges".
He also said that the VBSA Bill should have been widely discussed with academicians and educationists across the country and should have received the feedback and suggestions from them before implementing it.