BHUBANESWAR: AFTER four days of intense debate and demand to send the Odisha Universities (Amendment) Bill, 2020 to a Select Committee, the State Government on Tuesday passed the controversial legislation in the Assembly amid strong protest by Opposition including BJP members boycotting the discussion.
Describing it as a ‘Black Bill’, Congress legislature party leader Narasingha Mishra said today is a dark day in the history of the Odisha Legislative Assembly. “The Bill which was passed in the Assembly is unconstitutional and illegal,” he said.Cautioning that the Bill will be challenged in the court, Mishra said, “With my limited knowledge as a lawyer I am sure that some of the provisions of the Bill will be repealed.”
Maintaining that the universities will completely lose their autonomy, the senior Congress leader said, “If the university has to seek the permission of the Government for purchase of stationery items and if the State Government will decide the courses of study, then how can you say the institution has autonomy.”
Dismissing Opposition charges, Higher Education Minister Arun Sahoo said many states like Gujarat, Punjab, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh and West Bengal directly interfere in the appointment of vice-chancellors (VCs).
However, this is not the case of Odisha where an eminent academician, to be nominated by the State Government, will be made a member of the three-member search committee in place of the nominee of the syndicate of the university concerned.
Asserting that there will be no interference of the State Government in the affairs of the universities, Sahoo said the Government under Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik has been giving highest priority to functional autonomy and transparency.
The Minister said that the Opposition is giving the impression that the Odisha University Act, 1989 is being overhauled. The fact is that a few provisions of the Act have been changed after 31 years, keeping the best interest of the students.
As per the provisions of the Bill, the tenure of VCs will be enhanced from three years to four years and the upper age limit for VC post will be increased from 65 years to 67 years. All universities will come under one Act. The recruitment of the university teachers will be done by the Odisha Public Service Commission (OPSC).
To Opposition objection to the recruitment by the OPSC, Sahoo said that there will be three subject matter specialists preferably professors for selection of faculties. What is wrong in it?, he questioned.
Noting that around 800 posts are lying vacant in 10 universities of the State, the Minister said that the objective of the amendment is to make faster recruitment of teaching faculties to improve the teacher student ratio.