BHUBANESWAR: Introduction of senate in public universities and more autonomy to the higher educational institutions in selection of vice-chancellors (V-Cs) and faculty members are key proposals in the Odisha Universities (Amendment) Bill, 2024 that was taken up for discussion in the Assembly on Wednesday.
Under the proposed bill, the senate will be an authority of the university that will look into many aspects of the institution - starting from academics, resources and financial management to research.
The bill proposes to include a syndicate nominee in the selection committee in place of the state government nominee. The two others will be members nominated by UGC and by the Chancellor. It also allows the outgoing V-C to re-apply for the post of the same university, provided he will not participate in selection of syndicate nominee. Similarly, the upper age limit for V-C is proposed to be raised to 70 years in place of the existing 67 years to bring in more experienced academics into university administration.
In the new bill, the Odisha Public Service Commission (OPSC) has been omitted thereby removing it from the responsibility of recruiting faculty members for universities. Instead, the bill proposed to recruit them through a committee of academicians which will include the V-C or his nominee, a Chancellor nominee, three subject experts chosen by V-C, HoD of the department concerned and an academician from SC/ST/OBC/women/minority/PwD backgrounds.
The bill also proposes to include a distance education system in each eligible university, wherever it has not been included, to improve the gross enrolment ratio in higher education. The bill, if passed, will be called Odisha Universities (Amendment) Act, 2024.
In 2020, the previous BJD government had abolished senates and restructured syndicates (two decision-making bodies in universities) in public universities besides amending the Odisha Universities Act, 1989. It had reasoned that the senate had become ‘ornamental’ and the parent act needed amendment as some of its provisions had lost relevance.
It had also mandated that no V-C shall be re-appointed as V-C of the same university for the second time. It had also reconstituted the three-member selection committee and included in it its nominee (an academician) in place of a member selected by the syndicate as per UGC.