LUCKNOW: The Allahabad University (AU) added a new chapter to its history as its 96-year-old Students' Union ceased to exist on Saturday with varsity’s Executive Council (EC) putting its seal on the Academic Council’s (AC) recommendation to replace the Students' Union with Students' Council. The Registrar completed the procedure by issuing a notification to that effect, same day.
Consequently, there will not be direct elections to students' union anymore at AU and affiliated colleges, including Ishwar Saran Degree College, Shyama Prasad Mookerjee College and CMP Degree College.
The notification issued by AU registrar Prof NK Shukla, read: "Pursuant to Academic Council's resolution No. 10/36, here would now be a Student Council in place of Students' Union with effect from upcoming session 2019-20."
As per the university authorities, in the student council model, students' representatives would be elected course-wise in each faculty. Those elected thus would constitute an electoral college which would then elect the main office bearers of students' Council from among themselves.
AU, a central university of world acclaim, has served more of a nursery to some of the best political brains of the country including the likes VP Singh, Gulzari Lal Nanda and Chandrashekhar who all rose through the ranks to become the Prime Minister of India. Moreover, former president late Dr Shankar Dayal Sharma was an AU alumnus.
As per the university administration, the new arrangement would not mean banning students' representation in any way. Rather the change pertained only to the mode of election of office-bearers.
The university proceeded to change the system following Lyngdoh Committee recommendations (Clause 6.1.2 and 6.2.1) which provided that direct election to Student Union office bearers was apt only for smaller campuses. Large universities, with multiple campuses, should adopt the Student Council model of
representation.
As per AU PRO Chitranjan Kumar, university executive council’s move was in conformance of the Allahabad High Court order of May 17, 2019, asking the varsity authorities to conduct elections following Lyngdoh Commission recommendations.
The senior professors and members of EC felt that the new system would go a long way in curbing lawlessness, indiscipline and chaos on the campus, especially, during union polls. "In such a scenario, the Students' Council would help to check unscrupulous and frivolous elements on campus and also stop the use of money and muscle power.
However, the students did not sound very positive about the change. They even staged protest and tried to disrupt the EC meeting on Saturday.