Kerala CM Criticizes Draft UGC Regulations 2025, Alleges State Role Diminished

Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan stated on Thursday that the draft UGC regulations of 2025 not only diminish the role of state governments in higher education but in reality, sideline them. He expressed concern that the states would no longer have a role in appointing vice-chancellors (VCs) and assistant professors in universities established by the state, describing this as "undemocratic and excessive". 

He spoke at a National Convention held here on the draft University Grants Commission (UGC) regulations of 2025, attended by ministers from neighbouring states such as Telangana, Karnataka, and Tamil Nadu. 

Pinarayi Vijayan expressed concern that the authority to appoint Vice Chancellors (VCs) has been granted to Chancellors, who are Governors appointed by the Centre. This, he argued, opens the door to politically motivated selections that could adversely affect the higher education sector in the country. 

He claimed that "gubernatorial excesses" were experienced by many opposition-ruled states, including Punjab , Tamil Nadu, Telangana and Kerala, in the country. 

He asserted that many opposition-ruled states, including Punjab, Tamil Nadu, Telangana, and Kerala, have faced what he called "gubernatorial excesses." Vijayan pointed out that Governors, acting as Chancellors, have interfered politically in state universities, and he anticipated this interference to increase under the draft regulations. 

The CM also highlighted his government's experience with former Kerala Governor Arif Mohammed Khan. He mentioned how the Governor had refused to approve various bills related to university administration in the state, prompting the state government to approach the Supreme Court. 

Vijayan said that the draft regulations also carried "new and arbitrary criteria for promotions of academic staff. 

He said that the regulations were "not an isolated incident in terms of the Union government infringing upon the states' rights". 

The CM also raised the issue of the Centre allegedly eating into the states' financial resources as "share of Union allocation for their own schemes was coming down year-after-year, with the state governments having to chip in more and more". 

He also alleged that the Union government would go to any extent to usurp the rights of the states. 

Similar concerns were voiced by Kerala Higher Education Minister R Bindu, who chaired the event, and Telangana Deputy Chief Minister Mallu Bhatti Vikramarka. Bindu criticised the draft regulations as a violation of constitutional provisions and warned that they could dilute academic standards in state universities.  

Deputy CM Vikramarka, stated that the draft regulations relegate states to mere spectators in their own universities. He likened the situation to paying the bill without the authority to order the food.  

The Kerala government has consistently opposed the draft regulations. Vijayan previously described them as part of the "Sangh Parivar agenda aimed at centralising power and undermining state autonomy."  

According to the Union Education Ministry, the draft guidelines are designed to offer universities increased flexibility in the recruitment and promotion of teachers and academic staff. 

(With PTI Inputs)