Tamil Nadu CM asks Centre to withdraw draft UGC regulations
Several provisions in the draft UGC regulations were ‘in conflict with the state’s educational system and policies,’ Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M K Stalin claimed on Monday and urged Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan to withdraw the said regulations.
The state believed that many provisions in the draft regulations might pose serious challenges to the academic integrity, autonomy, and inclusive development of state universities, he said.
“We therefore request that the Ministry of Education may withdraw the draft Bills under discussion and review the concerns to better align with the needs of the diverse higher education landscape in India,” Stalin said in a letter addressed to Pradhan.
Also, in separate letters addressed to the chief ministers of the non-BJP ruled states, Stalin asked his counterparts to consider passing a resolution in their respective Assemblies on lines similar to the Tamil Nadu Assembly resolution seeking the withdrawal of the draft UGC regulations 2025.
“The recently issued UGC guidelines restrict the role of state governments in the appointment of Vice-Chancellors and certain administrative admission procedures, including the introduction of entrance exams for UG and PG courses in Universities,” he said.
These guidelines were “a clear infringement” on the rights of state governments and will have far-reaching consequences on the autonomy of state universities, he said in the letter addressed to the chief ministers of New Delhi, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir, Jharkhand, Karnataka, Kerala, Punjab, Telangana and West Bengal.