COIMBATORE: The University Grants Commission (UGC) on Wednesday once again asked universities and college implement Lyngdoh Committee recommendation on students’ union election.
The UGC on August 17, 2007, November 15, 2007 and September 5, 2014 asked universities and colleges to implement the recommendations of Lyngdoh Committee on issues relating to students bodies and student union election conducted in universities, colleges and other institutions of higher education across India, pursuant to the orders of the Supreme Court, UGC Secretary Jaspal S Sandhu said in a communication to Vice Chancellors across the country on Wednesday.
He further added, “Please ensure that the orders of the Supreme Court are implemented and compliance be sent to the UGC before September 18, for onward transmission to the Ministry of Human Resource Development. In the event of non-availability of students’ union, the same may also be informed.”
The Lyngdoh Committee recommendations say, universities and colleges across the country must ordinarily conduct election for the appointment of student representative bodies.
Where the atmosphere of the university campus is adverse to the conduct of peaceful, free and fair election, the university and its constituent colleges and departments must initiate a system of students representation based on nomination.
“In case where elections are not being held or where the nomination model prevails, the nomination model should be allowed to continue for a limited period of time. All institutions must, over a period of 5 years, convert from the nomination model to a structured election model that may be based on a system of parliamentary elections or on the presidential system or a hybrid of both,” it added.
Commenting on this, Students Federation of India (SFI) national vice president K S Kanagaraj said, “SFI’s stand is that the Lyngdoh Committee recommendation on students union election should be implemented in today’s globalisation era, which will help in building student-management relationship and in democratising them.”
But, just sending a letter to the universities will not be enough.
Universities and colleges are not complying with UGC’s advice. The apex regulatory body should come up with some kind of mechanism to ensure that student union elections are held in all universities and colleges, he added.
Apart from this, universities should also announce a time table for conduct of elections, by indicating date for nomination, conduct of election and declaration of result, for both colleges as well as universities, Kanagaraj demanded.