Education
In a set of 10 questions, Congress alleged that academic merit and institutional autonomy had been compromised in the appointment of vice-chancellors at public universities. It demanded an independent audit of appointments made over the past 25 years and disclosure of the selection process. It sought a 25-year academic performance audit and a white paper, besides a fixed deadline for filling sanctioned teaching posts.
“The govt must provide figures on faculty recruitment, hostels, fees, scholarships, research, patents and graduate employability,” said state Congress media convener Manish Doshi. Congress also questioned the performance of public universities, citing faculty shortages, examination disputes, administrative issues and inadequate research output. Congress further raised questions over Gujarat’s research and NIRF performance, recruitment and financial contracts at universities, and the absence of direct student-union elections at several campuses.
Ahmedabad: On the eve of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to Gujarat, the state Congress unit on Monday wrote an open letter to him, raising questions over the state’s education sector, including faculty vacancies, university governance, research output, fees, scholarships and employability.