‘Draft Univ Act is not wholesome’

Former senators, academic and management council members, deans and heads of departments of University of Mumbai have found the draft of the Maharashtra Public Universities Act of 2011 to be very autocratic and irrelevant to the current needs of higher and technical education in the state. The former officials had been invited to give their views and opinions on the Act, which the government wants to enact in the Winter Session.

Speaking about the draft, a former senator summarised the contents of the 256-page draft saying that the word ‘Public’ in the title was just in spirit as principals, teachers, stakeholders and the public were missing in the various aspects of the Act.

“The suggested changes in the existing act are very novel and welcome, however, there seems to be an attempt to concentrate the power to decide in the hands of a few people. The proposal to have independent and autonomous bodies called MAHED and BITAFIA will concentrate control over universities and higher education in the hands of a few people which is against the democratic process that the previous Act encouraged and was based on,” said the senator.

MAHED implies Maharashtra State Commission for Higher Education & Development. The body will supervise, shape, coordinate and devise use of technology to raise funds for higher education a task that was previously in the domain of the higher and technical education ministry and department. BITAFIA on the other hand means the Board for Integration of Technology in Academics, Finances & Administration to create and to maintain ICT network on the campus of the University and also to establish a network connecting all the affiliated colleges with the main campus of the university. This again is something that senators said would give the body access to sensitive information which was a dangerous sign.

The meeting which started at around 10.30 am at the Fort campus of the university went on till late in the evening with participants agreeing that the new Act was not wholesome as it left out most stakeholders.