New Delhi: A parliamentary standing committee, in its report tabled in the Rajya Sabha on Tuesday (February 4) flagged the “government’s retreat from public education and the increasing influence of neoliberal policies” while noting that most universities, especially those under the central government have a “higher amount of contractual workforce”.
The committee has also expressed concern that the draft Higher Education Commission of India (HECI) bill – that seeks to replace the UGC (University Grants Commission) as a single regulator – will remove state control and “would indirectly fuel privatisation especially in rural areas.”
‘Contractual positions lack job security, salary increments’
The Parliamentary Standing Committee on Education, Women, Children, Youth and Sports headed by Congress MP Digvijaya Singh said that as many as “four thousand teachers are employed in Central Universities in temporary posts.”
“This shift away from permanent, secure government jobs towards casual, short-term contracts has been driven by the Government’s retreat from public education and the increasing influence of neoliberal policies,” the committee said.
The committee noted that contractual positions lack job security, salary increments but remain sought after due to the scarcity of jobs while recommending regularisation of jobs to enhance capacity building and improving research.
“Contractual positions offer no job security, no salary increments, and lack of social security benefits like promotions, pensions, or paid leave. Despite, these disadvantages, such jobs have become highly sought after due to the scarcity of permanent jobs, particularly in fields like social sciences and humanities,” it said.
“Contractual faculties also face institutional hurdles when attempting to conduct research, including lack of access to research grants and insufficient institutional recognition. The Committee, therefore, strongly recommends that the Department should work on regularisation of jobs to provide job security and ensure fair working conditions as well to enhance capacity building which will motivate them to put effort for improving research and pedagogy.”
In response to the action taken by the Department of Education, the committee also said that action should be taken on its specific recommendation on appointing talented alumni/senior students/Ph.D. scholars as Teaching Assistants to secure adequate talent for higher educational institutes.
“It can be done on a trial basis in a few universities and evaluated before being scaled up nationally,” it said.
‘Draft HECI bill removes state control, may fuel privatisation’
The committee also observed that the draft HECI bill-that seeks to replace the UGC as a single regulator – appears to continue to be “a Central Government heavy composition and insufficient State representation.”
It recommended a simplified hierarchy of regulatory bodies without excessive centralisation.
“The Committee observes that the multiplicity of regulators leads to inconsistency in standards and monitoring, making it difficult for institutions to function effectively. Moreover, State Universities, which educate over 90 per cent of the student population, are caught in between national and state-level regulations,” it said.
It said that the HECI, by removing state control, could lead to closure of institutions in rural areas and “indirectly fuel privatisation” particularly in rural areas.
“The draft Higher Education Commission of India Bill (HECI) (which seeks to replace UGC as a single regulator) appears to perpetuate many of these same issues by maintaining a Central Government heavy composition and insufficient State representation,” said the committee.
“The proposed HECI Bill will hold significant power, including the ability to grant degree-awarding authority and close institutions failing to meet standards. This removes State control and could lead to the closure of institutions in rural areas that suffer from infrastructure or faculty shortages. It would indirectly fuel privatisation especially in rural areas,” it added.
The draft HECI bill was first introduced in 2018 and put in the public domain for feedback.