Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Tuesday said the Centre and the University Grants Commission (UGC) are attempting to destabilize the state’s higher education system through the latest UGC draft regulations.
Inaugurating the two-day ‘International Conclave on Next-Gen Higher Education’, in Kochi on Tuesday chief minister Vijayan said the latest UGC regulations threaten the autonomy of state universities and he urged the Centre government and the UGC to refrain from such actions and respect the autonomy of universities and the rights of state governments in matters related to education.
“State universities function according to the acts made by the elected legislatures. But the UGC’s restrictions are weakening this autonomy. The central government and the UGC should refrain from such actions and respect the autonomy of universities and the rights of state governments in matters related to education,” Pinarayi Vijayan said.
He said the state government has no objection to setting minimum qualifications for teaching appointments or similar matters and the state government fully comply with such restrictions. However, he made it clear that it is unacceptable for the UGC to overstep its boundaries in this way.
“We have no opposition to establishing minimum qualifications for teacher appointments or similar matters, and we fully adhere to such regulations. However, the UGC overstepping its boundaries in this way is unacceptable. Most of the universities are funded by state resources, with minimal Central contributions,” CM Vijayan said.
Chief minister Vijayan said that private universities operating across the country without even following UGC regulations will adversely affect the functioning of public universities and will question the credibility of the UGC itself.
“Numerous private universities operate across the country, many of which do not even adhere to UGC regulations. If these attempts continue, they will not only harm public universities but also undermine the very integrity of the UGC itself,” he said.
He said Kerala is committed to transforming itself into a people-centric knowledge society, employing a dual strategy to achieve this goal.
“On one hand, the focus is on enhancing the employability of individuals by improving their skills and knowledge, with curriculum modifications made to support these objectives. The two-day higher education conclave further strengthened these efforts, “ Pinarayi Vijayan said.
The Kerala chief minister’s remarks came in response to the release of the ‘Draft UGC Regulations 2025, issued by the Union Education Ministry recently