Govt should scrap ‘model varsities’ order: AIDSO

NT Correspondent

Bengaluru:

All India Democratic Students Organisation (AIDSO) on Thursday said the State government should withdraw its order to establish seven new “model universities” without providing any facility such as land, space, building and teachers. AIDSO state secretary Ajay Kamath said the Bommai administration’s education policy was questionable.

“AIDSO urges that immediately government should revoke this anti- student, anti- education order. And we call upon all the students, teachers and common people to get united to fight any such anti education policy of the government,” Kamath said. He added the dearth of aid for these varsities was condemnable.

“AIDSO Karnataka state committee condemns in the strongest words government's order to set up seven new model universities in educationally backward areas of the state without providing any aid. As stated in the order, in the seven new model universities - teaching should be conducted in the existing post graduate University centers.

No land should be purchased for establishment, no new building should be constructed, model universities should utilize existing posts in parent universities meaning, new posts should not be created. “Universities should operate on digital and entrepreneurial based 'earn while you learn' model. And the university must be maintained by the amount collected from students as fees.

There are several such points in the order. Is it at all possible to run a university in this manner? And can a university be established without any basic facility or aid from the government?” Kamath asked. He said that the government was shrugging off its responsibility to fund these varsities. “How can universities be developed without proper infrastructure, space and building? These are very basic needs to establish a university.

The government is all set to privatize these new model universities by telling 'earn while you learn' which means 'pay if you want to learn'. Stating that universities should be selfsustaining, the government shirked its basic responsibility of funding universities. “The government is following the policy of not creating anything new, but selling what is already there.

The government is destroying the ideas of freedom fighters and great renaissance thinkers that universities should become repositories of knowledge, platform for democratic and scientific ideas and financial management of universities should be the responsibility of the government. In reality, government is not establishing seven new universities but, actually selling seven universities!! This is highly condemnable,” he said