The three plus one committee—three vice-chancellors and one bureaucrat—constituted by the Chancellor to make recommendations for reformation of university administration and its restructuring, submitted its report and created an unnecessary controversy.
The report is poorly drafted, ambiguous and repetitive and reads like the failed essay of a mediocre undergraduate. Since they are not scribes, this can be condoned, but how can one pardon them the ignorance of their own Gospel—The MP Vishwavidhyalaya Adhiniyam, 1973, which governs all the state universities, and prescribes the procedure for the formulations of statutes, ordinances and regulations.
The committee embarrassed the Chancellor by not giving him honest advice that unless the State Legislative Assembly makes relevant amendments in the 1973 Adhiniyam, no reforms can be implemented.
The Higher Education and Law Departments rightly pointed out that reforms were not possible without a proper, legal route. Dr Santosh Kumar, former Vice-Chancellor of Barkatullah and Sagar universities, points out that the duties of the Chancellor are defined in Section 12 of the Adhiniyam and he cannot go beyond them. But nonetheless, the express purpose behind the Chancellor’s efforts to streamline university administration is commendable.
Section 35 and 36 are very important in the present controversy. Section 35 of the Act defines matters, as per sub-sections ranging from a to r, for which statutes can be made. Section 36 gives powers to the Universities Coordination Committee (UCC) to frame statues, but here too the rider is that the UCC
{{/usCountry}}Section 35 and 36 are very important in the present controversy. Section 35 of the Act defines matters, as per sub-sections ranging from a to r, for which statutes can be made. Section 36 gives powers to the Universities Coordination Committee (UCC) to frame statues, but here too the rider is that the UCC
{{/usCountry}}cannot go beyond the matters referred to in Section 35 and its sub-sections a to Section 36 also grants powers to the Executive Council of a university to recommend a statute to the UCC, and if passed it will become a statute of that particular university, but here also the rider is that the matter/s dealt with were mentioned in Section 35 and do not go beyond it. Here it is that the difficulty arises: Section 35 cannot be violated unless an amendment is made by the Legislative Assembly— the only competent body to do it..
When it comes to the creation of additional posts, it is very clear that the universities cannot create posts, for which powers are vested in the government / the Sate Legislative Assembly and not in the Chancellor.
The situation is so difficult that even when the UGC sanctions posts and provides money for them for a period of 5 years, the approval of the government is absolutely essential. One more fact needs to be mentioned here that through a Vidhan Sabha amendment (1998) in the Adhiniyam, 1973, the State University Services are now under the Government and not under
the Chancellor. Thus in case of controversy between the
Vice-Chancellor and the Registrar, the matter will be referred to the Government, which may or may not take cognisance of the matter. Since the V-C cannot initiate disciplinary action against a Registrar, the V-C is reduced to the status of a poor relation, who is employed in a big household to discipline the mannerless, rowdy children, who ignore and slight him quite aware of his helplessness.
So far teacher -administrators are proposed, nothing would be more inimical to teaching for universities are already shamefully short of teachers: for example Barkatullah University has 42 teachers as against the sanctioned strength of 115, whereas in Sagar University there are 224 teachers as against 340 sanctioned posts. Besides, teaching and research are far more superior and specialised activities and call for full-time teachers and not
part-time administrators. Let the Chancellor see that more teachers are provided and the existing ones are not involved in administration. Spare them to their domain if scholarship and researches have to improve.
To be concluded