Seven states pass resolution demanding rollback of draft University Grants Commission rules

Seven state governments on Wednesday passed a joint resolution demanding the withdrawal of the University Grants Commission’s draft regulations.

The resolution was adopted at the “Conclave of State Higher Education Ministers 2025”, organised by the Karnataka government to discuss the proposals. Education ministers from Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Telangana, Kerala, Jharkhand, Himachal Pradesh and Jammu and Kashmir were signatories.

The resolution raised concerns about the draft rules, particularly changes to the appointment of vice chancellors, the role of state governments in higher education and the impact on public universities.

The Union government released the draft rules on January 6 for feedback.

Among other changes, they propose revising the process for appointing teaching and administrative staff and granting chancellors more authority in selecting vice chancellors.

In most state-run universities, the chancellor is the governor, who is appointed by the Centre. Opposition-ruled states have argued that the new rules would give the Union government more control over vice chancellor appointments.

The proposed rules would apply to central, state, private and deemed universities.

The resolution stated that state governments should play a central role in appointing vice chancellors to public universities and that limiting this power violated federal principles.

“The regulations severely curtail the rights of the states in constituting the search-cum-selection committees for selection of Vice Chancellors,” it said. “The provision relating…

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