V-C appointment the key issue

The issue of the appointment of vice-chancellors of public universities in Karnataka has come to the fore again with the Karnataka State Public Higher Education Institutions Bill-2022, a revised draft bill to replace the existing Karnataka State Universities Act. In the revised draft, the government has gone back on the issue of the Board of Governors appointing the vice-chancellors of the public universities by restoring the powers of the government and the governor or chancellor, which means the Chancellor, in consultation with the government, will appoint the vice chancellor of a public university (Clause 31(4) of the revised bill) from a panel of three names recommended by the Search-cum-Selection Committee (SCS). The SCS is to be constituted by the Board of Governors (BOG) of the universities.

This is a departure from the recommendation made by the Aatre Committee (in May 2022), which stated that the BOG, not the chancellor, shall appoint the V-C from the panel of names recommended by the Search-cum-Selection Committee. The revised bill bares the real intention of the Karnataka government, i.e., of retaining its power as well as that of the chancellor in the appointment of vice-chancellors. In plain terms, the GoK wants the status quo—weighed in favour of itself—to continue. It is a known tendency of the SCSs to recommend names that are palatable to the government.

By opting for the status quo, the state government is also violating the norms prescribed by the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 regarding the appointment of vice-chancellors. Clause 19.2 of the NEP 2020 says: “All higher educational institutions in India must aim to become independent, self-governing institutions pursuing innovation and excellence... the BOG of each institution will be empowered to govern the institution free of any political or external interference in appointments, including that of the head of the institution.”

The revised bill is likely to impinge on the independence of the Board of Governors and the Search-cum-Selection Committees in matters pertaining to the selection of V-Cs.

The revised bill also states that the appointment of first vice-chancellors of newly established public universities will be done by the government, implying thereby that the procedure of the SCS Committee making the recommendations, as in the case of existing public universities, will not apply to such appointments. The Karnataka government recently announced the establishment of eight public universities in the state. The revised draft bill gives the government complete freedom to appoint men and women of its choice as V-Cs of such universities.

In the governance of any public university, the vice-chancellor occupies a pivotal position, as s/he has to be a person of proven academic record, leadership, and administrative capabilities. That being the case, there should be total transparency in the process of appointments, starting with the biodata of candidates who apply for such positions being put up for public viewing on the websites of the concerned universities. There should be marks assigned to the candidate’s length of service, teaching and research attainments, records of research funding they have brought to their respective institutions during their service, and administrative experience.

The SCS should allot marks/grades to the candidates in the above-mentioned areas in addition to the candidate’s performance in the interaction session with the SCS, which should be allowed for stakeholder viewing. Based on the marks secured by the candidates and keeping in mind considerations of social justice and gender parity, the SCS should be able to transparently draw up the panel of names and submit it to the Board of Governors for appointment. Only if such procedures are adhered to by the SCS can the appointment of V-Cs meet high standards. To ensure all this, utmost care should be taken in the composition of the SCS, which should include a reputed independent-minded academician, a public intellectual of repute, a well-known alumni of the university and an industry leader with a proven record of interaction with higher educational institutions.

It is disturbing to note that the revised Bill has deviated from the Aatre Committee report by restoring the powers of the government in the appointment of registrars, registrar assessment and evaluation, and finance officers. The intention of the government seems clear: to continue to have total control over the affairs of universities. This does not augur well for the quality of our public universities. It is reported that the government wants industrialists to head the BOGs. While it is useful to have an industry representative on the BOG, the chairperson of the board should ideally be retired vice chancellors who have performed creditably during their tenure.

(The writer is former Dean, Faculty of Arts, Bangalore University.)