Bengal: Education takes a hit as govt, governor spar over control of varsities

Higher education in West Bengal is in limbo as a dragging political tussle between the ruling Trinamool Congress and the BJP over the control of state-run universities has taken a turn for the worse.

None of the state’s 31 state universities currently has a full-time vice chancellor, creating administrative and financial impasse, turning them into a battleground between two constitutional institutions.

The state of affairs on the campuses were aptly summed up by the recent absurdity played out in the West Bengal government-run Netaji Subhas Open University (NSOU), a professor of the university told The Federal opting anonymity.

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The university’s acting VC, Chandan Basu, resigned in July within months of being appointed to the post, unilaterally by Governor CV Ananda Bose, the ex-officio chancellor of all state-run universities. The state government was not consulted before elevating Basu.

Deeper chaos

Basu lacked requisite administrative experience to handle the position and the university plunged into deeper chaos after he assumed the new role, forcing him to resign, the professor added.

Soon after Basu assumed charge, the university issued a gag order barring its staff from speaking to the press or making any comment on social media without prior permission. Amidst strong reaction from teachers, the order was withdrawn and Basu resigned.

“The fiasco was the result of the manner in which some professors are being hastily authorised to exercise power and perform the duties of the VCs,” the NSOU professor added.

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The NSOU is not the only institution where the governor has entrusted senior teachers to look after the affairs of the universities. Similar ad-hoc arrangements have been made in 14 universities.

As per the UGC norms, 10 years of working experience as a professor or the same years of expertise in reputed research and/or administrative organisation with proof of having demonstrated academic leadership is required to take over the role of a VC.

Lacking qualification

Most of those appointed as interim VCs do not have this qualification, informed sources added.

Bose in an unprecedented move even appointed non-academics as acting VCs of two state universities recently.

He unilaterally appointed retired chief justice of the Karnataka High Court, Subhro Kamal Mukherjee, as acting VC of Rabindra Bharati University, Kolkata, on July 4 and a retired Indian Police Service officer from Kerala, M Wahab, as officiating VC of Kolkata’s Aliah University on July 21.

He further hinted on Monday (July 31) that experts from outside would be roped in if needed for appointing VCs in the state universities in a transparent manner. He stated this after emerging from a meeting with interim VCs of 16 state-run universities of West Bengal.

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VCs of a Gujarat and an Uttar Pradesh universities were present in the meeting as invitees of the governor.

West Bengal education minister Bratya Basu hit back at the governor, threatening to move the Supreme Court against the latter’s “interference” in the functioning of the universities.

Governor-government war

The state government has also stopped the salaries and allowances of the interim VCs.

These apart, the state government decided to renew pressure on the governor to clear “the West Bengal University Laws (Amendment) Bill” that the assembly had passed in June last year seeking to replace the governor with the chief minister as chancellor of the universities.

“He should either give his nod to the bill or return it to the government so that it can be passed again by the assembly,” the education minister said. The governor will have to give his assent to the bill if it is passed again by the assembly with or without amendments.

The bill was passed when Jagdeep Dhankar was the governor and the relation between the Raj Bhawan and the state government was at its lowest ebb. Needless to say, Dhankhar did not give his nod to the bill.

The state government had decided not to pursue it after Bose was appointed as governor in November as attempts were made to defuse tensions between the Raj Bhawan and the state government.

“We will work together under the chief minister’s visionary leadership and Sir’s (governor’s) wisdom,” Basu had told the media at a joint press conference with the governor in February this year.

Hardliner stand

Governor Bose did make attempts to bury the hatchet with the state government in the first few months after assuming office in November last year.

But he had to change track as the BJP could not afford to give free hand to the TMC government to run the universities at a time when the Centre is trying to implement the new education policy, said political commentator Amal Sarkar.

At least two interim VCs appointed by Bose have confirmed that the implementation of the NEP got top priority during their discussions with the governor on Monday.

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The TMC government on the other hand wants a vice-like grip on the institutions of higher education. Its tussle with the Raj Bhawan over the appointment of VCs started when then Governor Keshari Nath Tripathi wanted to break the party’s domination on the campuses.

To curtail the governor’s role, the state government had made a rule that the name of chancellor’s nominee to the three-member search committee that picked the VC would be decided in consultation with the higher education minister.

Tripathi had said this had made the chancellor a toothless tiger.

Amending rules

The state government had also amended the West Bengal Universities Law Act replacing the mandatory representative of the UGC with that of the state government.

As per the UGC norms, a VC should be appointed by a search committee comprising one representative each of the UGC, the university concerned and the governor.

The TMC government had been appointing, reappointing and extending tenures of the VCs of universities, violating the norms.

Dhankhar, after taking over as governor, raised objections to the manner in which the VCs were appointed in the state.

The Calcutta High Court in March this year quashed the appointment of VCs of 29 universities, who were appointed without the approval of then governor Dhankhar, citing violation of norms.

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To ensure that it continues to have the last say in the appointment of the VCs even while following the UGC norms, the state government in May this year brought an ordinance to amend the university laws.

The amendment enlarged the search committee to five members instead of three. It will now have one nominee each of the chief minister, the state education department, the state Higher Education Council, the UGC and the governor.

Numerically, the committee is tilted in favour of the state government.