RSS ideologue heads state higher education council

Pradeep Sharma

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Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, March 15

Prof BK Kuthiala, an RSS ideologue, will be chairman of the 28-member Haryana State Higher Education Council (HSHEC) notified by the state government to promote excellence in higher education.

A former Vice Chancellor of Makhanlal Chaturvedi National University of Journalism and Communication in Bhopal, Professor Kuthiala had earlier held senior positions at Kurukshetra University (KU) and Guru Jambheshwar University of Science and Technology (GJUST), Hisar.

His closeness to senior RSS leaders, including educationist Dina Nath Batra, is apparently behind his bagging the coveted position.

As chairman of the Higher Education Review Committee of the state government, Professor Kuthiala had recommended an increase in retirement age of university teachers to 65 years and of Vice Chancellors to 70 years and hike in tenure to five years.

The committee had recommended setting up of the Uchchatar Shiksha Parishad under the chairmanship of the Chief Minister through an Act of the Assembly to improve the standard of higher education.

Other members of the council are Prof Om Prakash Arora, former professor, KU; DBS Murthy, Registrar, OP Jindal University, Sonepat; Prof KPS Mahalwar, former professor, Maharishi Dayanand University, Rohtak; Prof Anu Lathar, VC, Ambedkar University, Delhi; Prof DP Bhardwaj, former professor, KLP College, Rewari; AK Chawla, former VC, KU; ML Ranga, former VC, GJUST; and Sushma Arya, former Principal, DAV College for Girls, Yamunanagar.

Proposed increase in retirement age 

As chairman of the Higher Education Review Committee of the state government, Prof BK Kuthiala had recommended an increase in retirement age of university teachers to 65 years and that of Vice Chancellors to 70 years.