UGC Refuses to Discuss St Stephen’s Autonomy Before Legal Advice

DUTA President said the protests will continue till the UGC assures that autonomy will not be forced on colleges.

St Stephen’s campus.

(Photo: www.ststephens.edu)

Following the government’s directive to the University Grants Commission (UGC) asking them to seek legal opinion before granting autonomy to St Stephen's College, the issue was dropped from the agenda of the UGC's full commission meeting on Thursday, 24 May, reported The Indian Express.

We dropped the item from the agenda today. We will take it up only after seeking a legal opinion.

UGC sources to <i>The Indian Express</i>&nbsp;

Delhi University Teachers' Association (DUTA) president Rajib Ray informed the newspaper that he got a phone call from the Principal Joint Secretary, UGC, and another official informing him that they were dropping the matter from the meeting's agenda.

According to the Indian Express report, the HRD Minister Prakash Javadekar had met with representatives from both Hindu College as well as St Stephen's College to understand why the issue of autonomy had sparked protests.

This last minute change in the agenda of the full commission meeting is due to continuous protests. This deferral, however, is no guarantee against the government’s plan to privatise its premier public-funded higher educational institutions. DUTA emphasises the fact that DU already has its own statutory autonomy inscribed in its founding Act, and its constituent colleges partake of this autonomy.&nbsp;

DU Teachers’ Association (DUTA) president Rajib Ray to <i>Indian Express</i>

Ray also asserted that the protests will continue till the UGC assures that autonomy will not be forced on colleges or on the university. He also said that the advertised DU posts should be filled at once.

Sources informed Indian Express that the St Stephen's principal was "pulled up" for not involving other stakeholders. According to the Indian Express report, St Stephen's Staff Association also wrote to Javadekar.