DMK Students' Wing Protests Against UGC Draft Rules In Chennai

Image Credits: ANI

Chennai: Members of the DMK students' wing held a protest at Valluvar Kottam here on Friday against University Grants Commission's (UGC) new draft rules for the appointment of Vice Chancellors. The protesters raised slogans against the BJP-led Centre. On Thursday, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin in the State Assembly moved a resolution against the draft rules. Speaking in the Assembly, CM Stalin said, "This Assembly considers that the recent UGC draft rules should be taken back. They are an assault on the idea of federalism and they affect Tamil Nadu's higher education system."

MK Stalin also said that the New Education Policy (NEP) is being imposed to spoil the education system. "The New Education Policy is being imposed to spoil the education system.... We lost sister Anitha because of the NEET exam. NEET is filled with malpractices," he said.

According to UGC's new draft guidelines, candidates can qualify for faculty positions at higher institutions by clearing the UGC-NET in a subject of their choice, even if their undergraduate and postgraduate degrees are in different disciplines. Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan announced the guidelines for the appointment of faculty in higher education on Monday. It also includes changes to the selection process for vice-chancellors, including the expansion of eligibility criteria to include professionals from academia, research institutions, public policy, public administration, and industry.

As per the guidelines, the subject of the PhD degree precedes the disciplines studied in undergraduate and postgraduate degrees for faculty selections. Earlier on Wednesday, Kerala Higher Education Minister R Bindu called the guidelines against the federal principles of the country.

Attacking the Bharatiya Janata Party, she said that it is part of the Centre's agenda of "saffronization, over-centralisation and communalisation" of the education sector. Speaking to ANI, R Bindu said, "These guidelines are against the federal principles upheld by the nation...Recently, UGC has started procuring all kinds of interventions in the higher education sector through rigid regulations. This is an attempt to reduce academic quality...Industrialists can also become vice-chancellors in universities. This is condemnable."