Uproar in J&K over public varsities Bill
Jammu, October 26
Anger is brewing among teachers and students of different universities over the Jammu and Kashmir Public Universities Bill, 2022. The Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) on Wednesday staged a protest in Jammu, alleging the Bill would curtail the autonomy of the universities.
The Administrative Council led by Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha approved the Bill on October 8. ABVP state secretary Mukesh Manhas said, “Vice chancellors will have no power. All decisions regarding the universities will be taken by the UT Administration.”
He said it would lead to recruitments through the Public Service Commission and the Services Selection Board which were “already embroiled in scams”.
The draft proposal states, “Notwithstanding anything contained in any other law, all universities established and regulated under the Act shall refer all open and direct posts of officer cadre and all teachers and equivalent positions in their universities to the Jammu and Kashmir Public Service Commission (JKPSC) for an all-India advertisement and screening.” A professor at the University of Jammu said, “The law will give all powers to government officers.” An official claimed the aim was to make the functioning of universities transparent.
Universities will lose autonomy
The law will take away the autonomy of universities and give all powers to govt officials. This will ruin the academic environment. — A professor, University of Jammu
