Date:05/07/2009 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2009/07/05/stories/2009070550790200.htm

Tamil Nadu - Madurai

Teachers’ organisations to discuss committee report

Shastry V. Mallady

MADURAI: The All India Federation of University and College Teachers’ Organisations (AIFUCTO) will soon come out with its stand on the Yashpal Committee report which was submitted to Union Human Resource Development Minister Kapil Sibal recently.

At the national executive committee meeting to be held at Shillong on July 6, the federation will take up for discussion several issues including the Yashpal Committee recommendations and the 100-day action plan announced by the Union HRD Minister.

A. James William, AIFUCTO national secretary, who is a faculty member in a Tuticorin college, told The Hindu that the office-bearers and representatives of various teachers’ associations would discuss threadbare the latest issues in higher education.

“We will discuss the suggestion made in that report for creation of a National Commission for Higher Education and Research subsuming the existing councils like University Grants Commission and All India Council for Technical Education. It appears that on the one side there is a talk about democratisation and on the other side the recommendation seems to be towards centralisation,” Mr. William said.

The Yashpal Committee was constituted to ‘advise on renovation and rejuvenation of higher education in India.’ The AIFUCTO meet would also come out with a ‘clear opinion’ on the proposed move towards allowing foreign universities into the country, he said.

According to Mr. William, the agenda for deliberation would also include the UGC regulations on pay revision for college/university teachers and the minimum qualification required for appointment of lecturers in universities and colleges in the country.

Positive changes

“Some positive things have happened recently in the field of higher education. One of them is the strict regulatory mechanism for deemed universities. This issue will also be taken up for debate at the national executive committee meeting,” he said.

Mr. William said that the ‘opinion’ emerging out of the Shillong meet, after consultation with different State-level organisations, would be taken to the attention of Union HRD Minister.