Asserting that the Union government’s draft University Grants Commission (UGC) regulations of 2025 ignore the existence of minority communities and undermine the federal structure of the country, the Syro-Malabar Church has called for a collective, nationwide response against the proposed reforms and other concerns surrounding higher education.
A symposium organised by the Committee on Education of the Syro-Malabar Synod at St. Berchmans College, Changanassery, on Wednesday analysed the draft regulations and raised concerns over provisions that could diminish the role of the management, potentially leading to violations of minority rights.
The event also highlighted the need for greater clarity on guidelines related to staff and Principal appointments, research publications, and institutional autonomy.
A key shortcoming of the draft regulations, according to the Church, is the failure to acknowledge the extracurricular responsibilities of higher education institutions. It also pointed to ambiguities in the revised criteria for appointing college faculty and the vague requirement of “significant contributions” (Draft 3.8) in determining eligibility.
The Church also questioned why the Union Education Minister, rather than the University Grants Commission (UGC) itself, an autonomous body, released the new guidelines. It also criticised the regulations for failing to address minority rights.
Addressing the symposium, Metropolitan Thomas Tharayil of the Changanassery Archdiocese described the regulations short-sighted. “New regulations should foster innovation but, unfortunately, the proposed UGC reforms are regressive in nature,” he remarked.
Joseph Kallarangatt, Chairman of the Synodal Commission on Higher Education, emphasised that the draft UGC regulations require thorough scrutiny to identify potential threats to minority rights. Fr. Jobi Karakkattu carried out a detailed presentation on the proposed regulations
Published – January 29, 2025 08:21 pm IST