Skip to main content

Dharna in Vadodara against proposed law aimed at snatching away varsity autonomy

An AISEC Gujarat note on dharna against Common University Act in Vadodara:
***
The All India Save Education Committee (AISEC) along with Teachers' Union of all the universities organised an impactful dharna against Common University Act in Vadodara opposite to MS University jointly by AISEC, Abhivyakti ni Azadi, Baroda University Teachers' Association (BUTA), Baroda University Staff Association (BUSA) as well as Students against CUB. Eminent personalities like I. I. Pandya, Dr. Bharat Mehta, Dhiru Mistry, Amee Ravat, Ajay Dave, Narendra Ravat and others participated in Dharna. Prof. Hemantkumar Shah and Dr. Kanu Khadadiya, Joint Secretary, Gujarat Chapter, AISEC, specially came to participate from Ahmedabad.
Earlier, an impactful dharna against the Common University Act was organised in Ahmedabad.
Also H. D. Patel, President, Sardar Patel University Area Teachers' Association (SPUATA) as well as the former secretary, M. G. Mansuri also came from Vallabh Vidyanagar in solidarity with the Dharna. A signature campaign has been started both online and offline on this issue. Further it was decided to organise a state level Citizen's Convention in Ahmedabad on 20 September.
It is worth mentioning that Common University Act is aimed to snatch whatever autonomy is left with the universities. The democratic atmosphere of the university campuses will be destroyed. Senate, Syndicate and Students' Union elections will be eradicated. The teachers will be turned into government employees. The universities will come under total control of the government.
So there will be an atmosphere of fear in the university. And political interference will also increase. The chief interest of the government behind bringing this Act is to sell the property and land of universities.
It is also worth mentioning that two attempts were done to bring about this Act in 2004 - 05. But both the times they were foiled due to strong people's movement. At that time, eminent citizens like Prof. Devvrat N. Pathak, Prof. Dinesh Shukla, Prakash N. Shah, Mahesh Dave, Kirit Bhatt, I. I. Pandya, Nalin Anadkat, Dr. Bharat Mehta and others actively built up the movement under the leadership of AISEC. This is the third attempt. And even when most of these members are not there, yet the movement is gaining momentum.

Comments

TRENDING

The making of a self-made woman: How eighty sheep changed everything for Kalawati Ninama

By Vikas Meshram*  About forty-two kilometres from Rajasthan's Banswara district, in the tribal heartland of Ghatol block, lies the small village of Ubapana. This is where Kalawati Ninama, her husband Dhulji, and their four children make their home. Their days unfold much like those of their neighbours—bustling mornings, long hours of farm labour through the afternoon, and evenings spent tending livestock. For this family, farming and livestock were once simply a means of putting food on the table. Today, they have become the sturdy foundation of something far greater: genuine self-sufficiency.

India has spent billions on skilling. Where are the jobs?

By Vikas Gupta   India loves the photograph of a certificate ceremony. A minister on a stage. A banner bearing the word “skill.” Young people holding folders that promise a future. It is a reassuring image because it tells us the problem has a manageable answer: train the young, make them job-ready, and work will follow.

BAPS, the Eiffel Tower and the curious silence on secularism

By Rajiv Shah   I was a little surprised to see how some of those whom I respect for taking a firm stand on patriarchal issues reacted to the manner in which they responded to the recent incident in Paris, in which women employees of the Eiffel Tower were asked to remain "invisible" on September 5 when 100 BAPS sadhus visited one of the world's top tourist destinations.