Petition to Prakash Javdekar demanding withdrawal of ‘Autonomy’ and anti student policies
To,
Shri Prakash Javdekar,
Minister of Human Resource Development,
Government of India
Sub: Demanding Withdrawal of Notifications for Granting Autonomy and 70-30 % Funding to Colleges, Universities and Other Higher Education Institutions
Javdekar Ji,
We are writing to you to demand roll back of recent policies and notifications that are designed to finish off all opportunities of higher education for the vast majority of students of the country. On 20th March you held a press conference declaring autonomy for 60 higher educational institutions in the country. The 12th February 2018 UGC Gazette notification is the basis of the declaration of autonomy. According to this notification, the institutions granted autonomy can start courses in self-finance mode without the approval of UGC. The notification also says that these institutions can start new courses of their choice, “provided no demand for fund is made from the government”. The autonomy declaration was preceded by a ministry of finance notification of 13th January, 2017 and subsequent set of notifications and letters by the MHRD and the UGC. These documents state that the government will provide only 70% of the required fund to the central universities. The remaining 30% will have to be generated by the universities themselves. The state governments have been told that the centre will only provide 50% of the required funds for state universities. Our concerns are as follows:
1. The combined effect of these policies and notifications would mean massive fee-hikes and reckless self-financing. These policies essentially mean a closure of access to higher education for the vast majority of students who are not from wealthy backgrounds.
2. Invariably, as higher education is made market-driven, SC/ST/OBC/PH category reservations will also take a beating and the number of students from these vulnerable categories to access higher education will decline.
3. The institutions categorised by the Government as ‘best’ are being asked to practice autonomy through self-financing. But is not it a fact that these institutions have become ‘best’ because they are backed by government funding and have been enriched by the access of diverse and deprived sections of students? Will not the withdrawal of government funding starve these institutions of the much-needed support henceforth, and drastically affect their excellence?
4. Another factor that will affect excellence is: self-financing will mean that several courses and subjects will not be taught anymore as they may not attract a market and funders. This is also bound to endanger the scope and independence of knowledge creation in Indian universities. Knowledge-creation should be according to the needs of society (including the most deprived sections of society who cannot fund knowledge) – not the needs of the profit-driven market, and this is precisely why Universities and research should be state-funded.
5. The Government is defining ‘autonomy’ as ‘autonomy’ from Government funding! Higher Education Institutions need autonomy – autonomy from political interference in curriculum, appointments, freedom of expression and so on by the Government. The Government today is unleashing the worst attack on the autonomy of Higher Education Institutions through saffronised curriculum, political and substandard appointments, and the worst-ever attacks on freedom of expression both through political administrations and through physical attacks on books, and academic seminars by storm-troopers of the ruling party.
6. HEIs also need autonomy from the market – research priorities should be driven by academic considerations not decided by profit-driven considerations of corporate funders.
7. The world over, people are concerned about the undue influence, even stranglehold of the richest 1% on the economy and even on politics and Government. Self-financing will mean that the 1% will be allowed to decide what can and cannot be taught, learned and researched in higher-education institutions! Keeping our country’s academics and research free from the control of this 1% is a key aspect of autonomy – and the Government’s definition of ‘autonomy’ actually hands over autonomous Universities into the control of the 1%.
8. You have repeatedly stated that the move towards self-financing and ‘autonomy’ is to improve the ‘foreign ranking’ of our HEIs. Sir, Indian HEIs have for long enjoyed ‘foreign’ recognition and prestige, which is why so many international universities and jobs seek to attract ‘brains’ from India’s HEIs. Our question is why the Government wants to prioritise bringing foreign teachers to Indian HEIs at exorbitant cost and attracting foreign students, when the priority ought to be affordable higher education for Indian students and employment in dignified, secure teaching positions for those trained in Indian HEIs!
We believe these decisions by the government will only close the doors of quality higher education for the young generation of India.
We strongly demand-
- Withdraw the 12th February UGC Gazette notification and 20th March MHRD declaration that comprise the autonomy-self-financing order.
- Withdraw all MHRD/UGC notifications and letters that restrict funding by central government to 70% for central universities and 50% for state universities.
- Government funding for running universities must expand and not reduce as has been designed in the recent orders.
Thank you
