AP to enact law to bring varsities under one body

THe Andhra Pradesh authorities is provision to act out a comprehensive statute law aimed at bringing all universities crosswise the state under a single umbrella to introduce uniformity in governance, administration, academic standards and financial structures across universities, people familiar with the matter said.A committee comprising of the senior officials of the Andhra Pradesh state council of higher education, which was entrusted with the task of preparing a draft legislation seeking amendment of the existing Andhra Pradesh Universities Act, 1991, submitted the same to the government recently.The bill is expected to be introduced in the upcoming winter session of the state assembly, an official privy to the matter said.At present, Andhra Pradesh has 32 state-funded universities, comprising 11 conventional universities and 21 specialised universities. Of these, 24 universities are governed by separate Acts, despite having similar administrative, academic and financial frameworks. The lack of uniformity in legal provisions has prompted the government to move towards a single consolidated law.The new law will bring institutions such as Rajiv Gandhi University of Knowledge Technologies (RGUKT), Sri Padmavati Women’s University, Dravidian University, JNTU, NTR University of Health Sciences, NG Ranga Agricultural University, and Urdu University under a unified governance framework.Under the proposed reform, all these institutions will be brought under a single umbrella legislation, which will be treated as the Andhra Pradesh Universities Act.The move is expected to ensure consistency in governance structures, administrative procedures and academic regulations across the higher education system.At present, the state governor serves as the chancellor of all universities in the state except RGUKT — established to run the Indian Institutes of Information Technology (IIITs) — has been an exception. RGUKT was created under a separate Act, under which the government appoints the chancellor.In another major governance reform, the government plans to replace the existing Executive Council (EC) system in universities with a Board of Governors (BoG).The Board of Governors will function as the highest policy-making body on administration, academics and finances. A chairperson will be appointed from among eminent industrialists, technocrats, academicians, scientists, social scientists or legal experts.Every university will have an academic council, mandated to meet at least twice a year. A Standing Committee of the Academic Council will be empowered to take decisions on urgent academic matters.Representation in the Executive Council and Academic Council will be restricted to nominees from NAAC-accredited colleges. Each university will also have an Internal Quality Assurance Cell (IQAC).The official said the objective is to align university curricula more closely with industry requirements, introduce relevant changes in courses, and enhance employment opportunities for graduates through stronger industry–academia collaboration.He said for the first time, an upper age limit is being prescribed for vice-chancellors. While there was no age cap earlier, the new law proposes a maximum age limit of 65 years, with a tenure of three years or attainment of 65 years — whichever is earlier. The post of Rector will be replaced by that of Pro Vice-Chancellor.To ensure transparency in appointments, a Universities Recruitment Board will be constituted for staff recruitment across universities. Promotions for non-teaching staff will be strictly based on merit-cum-seniority.The search committee for Vice-Chancellor appointments will comprise one nominee each from the Board of Governors, the University Grants Commission (UGC) and the state government.The law also empowers authorities to suspend a Vice-Chancellor during the pendency of an inquiry if charges of irregularities or violations of law and statutes are established.