Chandigarh: 2021 report proposed 50% cut in Panjab University senate strength
An 11-member panel constituted by then Vice-President of India M Venkaiah Naidu had proposed reducing the number of senators from 93 to 47 and to appoint rather than elect them
Panjab University’s senate is facing a potential overhaul with the issue reaching the Parliament. A 2021 report, submitted by an 11-member panel to the then chancellor and vice-president of India M Venkaiah Naidu, had proposed lowering the strength of the varsity’s apex body from 93 to 47 and to appoint rather than elect its members. Elections, though, will still be conducted for some of them.
The senate is the apex body of the university, overseeing all of its affairs, concerns and property. All decisions related to academics and the budget require its final approval. It comprises 91 members, including 47 from eight faculty constituencies, while the rest are nominated or ex-officio members. As the existing term of the senate expired on October 31, the varsity has been functioning without it ever since.
The process for governance reforms was first started under the tenure of former PU vice-chancellor Arun Kumar Grover after a visit by a National Accreditation and Assessment Council (NAAC) peer team at the varsity in 2015. In 2018, the recommendations of a committee formed under retired justice Bharat Bhushan Parsoon were submitted by authorities regarding this.
Later, after the implementation of National Education Policy (NEP) in November 2020, the University Grants Commission (UGC) had also directed PU to initiate governance reforms. Naidu had formed an 11-member panel in February 2021 to recommend governance reforms, with RP Tiwari, vice-chancellor of Central University of Punjab, Bathinda, as the chairperson of the panel. The final report, senators allege, wasn’t made public or put before the 2021-24 senate for discussion. UT director higher education (DHE) Rubinderjit Singh Brar, who was also the DHE in 2021, was one of the members. He said the committee had compiled suggestions for the reforms and sent them to the university in 2021 which was to send them to the chancellor, but there was no update on what became of this report after that.
Other proposed changes
As per the recommendations, instead of elections for 15 registered graduates, eminent PU alumni should be nominated by the chancellor. The membership of the senate is proposed to be lowered to 47 against the present 93. The syndicate membership is also proposed to be reduced to 13 from the present 18, but both the bodies must be retained. The report adds that preference must be given to academicians from the university and its affiliated colleges in appointment to the two bodies.
It had also been proposed that the colleges situated in close proximity may be affiliated to PU and the colleges situated in distant places, like Fazilka, Abhohar, Muktsar, should be affiliated to other state universities.
Changes in composition of faculties have also been recommended, which include doing away with the bifurcation of faculties as major or minor. The number of faculties will also reduce from 11 to 10, as prescribed by PU regulations. In place of added/co-opted members, nominated members from among the academia have been recommended. The present system of appointment of deans of faculties by election has been recommended to be replaced with appointment from among senior professors on seniority basis, by rotation. Interestingly, while the syndicate elections for this year have been placed on hold due to a pending court case, the varsity has also not held the dean elections this year.
Senators divided over the issue
Meanwhile, one of the senators protesting since a long time, IS Sidhu, said they are also open to reforms but don’t condone the matter in which the reforms will be introduced. “We have not been given any draft of the recommendations proposed by the 2021 committee. Being the varsity’s apex body, these recommendations should have come up in the senate for debate.” He added that they are also in favour of reforms, but they should also be consulted regarding the same. Sidhu added that their demands are that student representation is needed in the senate and the registered graduates constituency must also be retained.
The protesting senators, meanwhile, don’t represent all of the elected senators, many of whom aren’t present at the protest. One of them said they are in favour of the reforms as it would bring more teachers into the senate and it would keep outside issues from entering the senate.
Established by the British in Lahore in 1882, Panjab University was brought here after the partition, followed by creation of the senate, which has a term of four years.
BOX:
Key recommendations by the panel
Reducing senate strength from 93 to 47
Emphasis on appointing senators instead of electing
Reducing syndicate strength from current 18 to 13
Appointing deans of faculties from among senior professors instead of electing
Putting an end to faculties’ classification as major or minor
Affiliation of distantly located colleges to other universities