Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, Dec 31: The “Group of Concerned Citizens”(GCC) Jammu & Kashmir, a non–political, has urged Lt Governor Manoj Sinha to review the proposed J&K Public Universities Bill 2022.
In a memorandum to the Lt Governor, GCC has sought to bring forth some concerns and suggestions over the proposed Bill. Pointing out that each University in J&K has been established under enactments passed by the State legislature, from time to time thus acquiring a distinct entity, ethos and eco system of its own consistent with the mission and mandate enshrined in respective Acts and Statutes, GCC has said that the very idea of repealing their respective enactments would seem misconceived, ab initio.
“On the contrary, the Universities in J&K, like in rest of the country, deserve to be allowed to function and flourish further within their respective Acts and Statutes which have , by far, stood the rest of time , providing enough space to reform, revamp and evolve with time,” added the memorandum.
Highlighting the concept of institutional autonomy as envisaged in the National Education Policy 2020, GCC has maintained that the subject Bill is fraught with ideas and elements that might only tend to have a contrarian effect, constrain autonomy and thereby stifle free thinking , supplant independent expression, inhibit intellectual growth, and impair overall academic ambience.
Further pointing out that the J&K Civil Service Regulations (including the Classification, Control & Appeal Rules), or norms and rules broadly corresponding thereto , are already in force in the University system and there are enough safeguards in Constitutional provisions ( like Art 311) to deal with “dismissals without holding inquiry” as and when necessitated by imperatives of national security, the memorandum said that there may, however, be a case for improvement in the enforcement of extant legal/ constitutional regime rather than bringing in more and newer laws and regulations, as proposed in the Bill.
“As a subject in the Concurrent List of Indian Constitution, States are envisaged to have as much of a plenary role , as that of the Centre, in legislating on Education , as also in policy planning , development , regulation and control of an entire educational sector in respective states,” reads the memorandum and sought review of the proposed Bill.
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