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Education News

nance and cleansing model is a long Forum released a press statement on
way away. December 23, targeting the Governor
Reshma Ravishanker (Bengaluru) for his doublespeak and attempts to
politicise the administration of uni-
WEST BENGAL versities in West Bengal.
Bad days for JU Ananda Bose’s JU convocation cancel-
According to the senior academics,
lation order revealed intention to car-
he long-standing face-off be- ry forward the Sangh Parivar’s agenda
tween the state government of taking control of top-ranked higher
Tand the state governor over the ed institutions such as JU, JNU and
issue of appointment of vice chan- Delhi University. University convoca-
cellors (VCs) in 31 state government tions at which degrees are conferred
universities has transformed into a upon graduating students are held in
full-blown war between the Trinamool high esteem by teachers and students
Congress (TMC) which rules West alike the worldover. Jadavpur’s con-
Bengal and the governor — an ap- vocation traditionally staged on De-
pointee of the ruling BJP government cember 24 is a grand affair to which
at the Centre. This stand-off has also students and faculty look forward.
exposed the perilous state of Bengal’s Fortunately, JU’s convocation for
higher education system. As they try 2022-23 graduating students was duly
to undermine each other, the future of held on December 24 with full pomp
state government universities remains and ceremony, Chancellor Bose’s stop iven that university administra-
in a limbo, with no permanent VCs in order notwithstanding. Gtions in India are essentially vice-
them for more than seven months. Within academia, this confronta- chancellor-centric with the VC, who is
Now the stand-off between TMC tion between Governor Ananda Bose the principal executive and ex-officio
and the BJP has gone into a tailspin — the Centre’s appointee and the chairman of the board of management
with the governor terminating the state’s TMC government — which has and the academic council, required to
appointment of Jadavpur University been playing out for the past seven supervise day-to-day academic and
(JU, estb.1955) interim vice chan- months is being interpreted as a battle administrative activities, all impor-
cellor Buddhadeb Sau on December for the control of JU, West Bengal’s tant operations at JU are at a stand-
23, a day before the JU convocation most prestigious university. still. According to a report by Debesh
ceremony, and the state government Ranked #4 in the EducationWorld Das, senior academic and former min-
directing him to “continue to exercise India Higher Education Rankings ister with the erstwhile CPI (M)-led
and perform his duties and hold the 2023-24 and #4 by the National Left Front government, 28 percent of
convocation,” which he did. Institutional Ranking Framework teaching posts are vacant in JU. At a
But the twist in the tale is that Sau, (NIRF) of the Union education min- time when JU is busy implementing
professor of mathematics at JU was istry, JU has steadfastly carved out its the NEP 2020, the absence of a full-
appointed interim VC by Governor own identity as a liberal and secular time VC as well as faculty shortage is
C.V. Ananda Bose on August 17 de- higher ed institution in which both likely to be debilitating.
spite his lack of ten years teaching ex- TMC and BJP are striving to estab- Meanwhile in this maelstrom, JU’s
perience which is mandatory for the lish a firm foothold. With the political admission applications are falling.
post. At the time, the appointment slugfest in JU attracting banner head- Last Year, 138 of JU’s 1,253 B.Tech
had received heavy flak from TMC lines in the media and arguments seats remained vacant, with the elec-
top guns. and counter-arguments flying thick trical and mechanical engineering de-
On December 19, Ananda Bose and fast over the removal and rein- partments experiencing unprecedent-
sent a letter directing JU not to hold statement of Sau, the future of this ed vacancies of 18 seats each.
the function because of ongoing legal prestigious university is under threat. It is pertinent to note here that
battle over the appointment of interim According to Mayukh Biswas, a while some not yet operational insti-
VCs. Curiously, Governor Bose did not leader of the Students Federation tutes have received letter of intents as
oppose convocations held at Kalyani of India (SFI): “Instead of providing Institutes of Eminence (IOE), Jadav-
University and Vidyasagar University, the necessary financial aid which JU pur U which was proposed for IoE sta-
also managed by interim VCs. In re- needs, the TMC and BJP are trying to tus by a UGC Empowered Committee
sponse, a group of senior academics ruin JU’s reputation in their attempt in 2019, is yet to officially receive it.
under the banner of the Educationist to acquire a bigger footprint.” Conferment of IoE status entitles it to

28 EDUCATIONWORLD JANUARY 2024