The Mamata Banerjee government is preparing to strike at the root of political control in the state’s universities, amending the laws to ensure that an academic institution is run by academicians.
Education minister Bratya Basu called on governor M.K. Narayanan, the chancellor of the 16 state universities, at Raj Bhavan on Tuesday morning with a draft of the changes.
Sources said the new model was drawn up on the lines of those at Delhi and Jawaharlal Nehru universities, which have eliminated external political influence on academics.
Bengal’s proposed system aims to do away with the “graduate constituency” created by the CPM to ensure a substantial number of faithful in a university’s highest policy-framing body.
It was the brainchild of former state CPM secretary Anil Biswas, who had followed mentor Promode Dasgupta’s line to keep a vice-like party grip on academic institutions.
The constituency comprised representatives from among former students but invariably supporters of the Left. Their first inclusion happened in 1979, with the Calcutta University Act, when the party was still not certain about the extent to which it could influence teachers.
The law for every varsity was changed thereafter to force the “party line”.
“Academic institutions worldwide seek the help of alumni but the political bias queered the pitch in Calcutta. The graduate constituency’s only agenda was to ensure the university’s adherence to Alimuddin Street’s line,” said a former teacher at Calcutta University. In the 165-member CU court, there are as many as 25 graduate representatives.
Over the years, the CPM managed better, ensuring that most of the teacher representatives were carrying its brief.
The changes being mooted now are aimed at ensuring the primacy of scholars with proven credentials in a university’s policy-making panel, said an official. The amendments are also aimed at freeing the academic panels of non-teaching employees, trade union leaders and MLAs.
Once the governor approves the changes and the Assembly gives its consent, the process by which vice-chancellors are recruited will also change. Search panels comprising scholars of renown will shortlist prospective VCs.
At all state universities, the CPM had the final say in the selection.
“The government had asked academicians to examine the acts governing reputable universities in other states and also the acts of central universities to find a suitable model for our institutions. Our primary goal is to free higher education from party politics and ensure that the universities are run by academicians. The DU act, for example, makes sure its policy panels are packed with teachers and other academic staff,” said a source close to the government.
At the meeting with the governor, Basu was accompanied by industries minister Partha Chatterjee. They will meet again on Wednesday. “We will be able to elaborate on the changes after the final discussions with the governor,” Basu told Metro.
Education department sources added the government was keen on help from alumni but only if they were “distinguished in their disciplines”.
“We are trying to restructure the acts in such a way that there is little scope to skew the university administration with political appointees,” said an official.
The ministers also discussed the need to amend the Presidency University Act. In its revised form, the act could endorse the functioning of the mentor group, which now can make recommendations to the government but not implement any of its suggestions.
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