The Aligarh University administration, under the leadership of its Vice Chancellor Prof. PK Abdul Azis is going ahead with its plans to open Special Centres in complete defiance of the opposition lobby, which has increased its efforts to create a united front against the University administration’s attempt to go ahead, without changing the ordinance and the AMU Act and without building a consensus on the subject, as demanded by those opposing the VC.
The VC is projecting these centers as an attempt towards culmination of Sir Syed’s dream and expanding the great legacy of AMU to spread modern education throughout the country. Says the VC: “The overwhelming response the University is receiving from different states of the country bears testimony to the fact that AMU credentials as a secular and modern education is well recognized across the nation. The passion and reverence with which the AMU team was received and welcomed at Malappuram, Murshidabad and Kishanganj shows that the initiative has ignited the hopes and aspirations of the people of the region irrespective of caste, creed and religion.”
Former MP and University Court Member, Waseem Ahmad, who is opposing the VC’s moves tooth and nail says: “The VC is aggressively moving ahead to divert attention on the enquiry against corruption. The opening of Special Centers is not in AMU Act. Without amendment in the Act, it is not possible. He is misinterpreting the decision taken by the executive council, misinterpreting the Court and strong governing bodies. He is misinterpreting all and sundry.” Waseem Ahmad advices the VC to take strong legal opinion and go to take a no-objection from the Law Ministry before proceeding or else all the preparations will fall flat on the ground.
Says Tariq Islam, who too is opposing the University’s decision for Special Centers: “Without amendment in the Act, it is not possible to go ahead. This is the legal aspect. My personal opinion is that we shall focus on development of this University, its academics, its infrastructure. When there are problems galore here, how will we be able to control centers in such far off places. Government is trying to capitalize on the brand name of AMU and seek political benefits in Muslim dominated areas. This VC is merely a tool in the hands of the Government.”
Tariq Islam says that he is unable to understand why Rs. 45 crore has been granted for Murshidabad and merely 10 crores for Malappuram. “Was this all deliberated before taking a decision? Is the finance ministry not accountable for this money?” Says he, adding further that even the boundary of the Special Center won’t be completed in Rs. 10 crore.
It is to be remembered that the feasibility report for the Centers, under the light of Satish Kumar, Secretary HRD Ministry’s decision, has not yet come. “Without the feasibility report, the VC should not have gone ahead with the plan. Even if the report is submitted, it will take about one to two years for the money to come. By then, elections in Bihar, West Bengal and Kerala would be over. It might just be an election gimmick,” says Islam.
Kaukab Hameed, sitting MLA from Baghpat and general secretary of the apex Old Boy’s Association says: “If the VC had really fallen in love with this University, then he would have given the IIT that he promised. Even in the meeting organized by the VC with his own henchmen present, former Chancellor Mr. AM Ahmadi had said that the VC shall change the Act. “Says Kaukab Hameed further: “No university in India has such centers! Why this love for AMU. If you really want to do something, open another university in the name of Sir Syed or Abul Kalam Azad. AMU was known for its special character, which united people from all parts of India under its ambit. If a Keralite will study in Kerala, Bengali will study in Bengal, who will come to AMU.”
Old boy and now the Vice Chairperson, Urdu Academy Delhi, Prof. Akhtarul Wasey too wants that consensus should be achieved before we go ahead with the opening of Centers. Prof. Wasey is also worried about the world-famous AMU character getting jeopardized.
Adds Mr. Mustafa: “This is the game by Mr. Pranab Mukherjee and Mr. E. Ahmad, who are seeing their constituency more than AMU’s interests. There is no rule in AMU which favours Muslims. If Muslims are getting admitted in AMU, it is because they are fulfilling the eligibility criteria. How will a Muslim student get inside the Center where there are no internal students? There is no special favour being given in the present set-up but new centers are being added in the name of Sachar Committee Report.” Mr. Mustafa says that the Government is deliberately trying to mix two debates. One is the Sachar Committee Report and its guidelines for doing something for the Muslims. The other is the character of the AMU. He points out that the entire Academic policy of the University will have to be changed, if we plan to go ahead with the Centers.
Kaukab Hameed is also of opinion that there is more of politics and less of sincerity. “UGC rules do not allow for opening of Campuses. All this will end up nowhere. Except that the VC wants to divert the mind from the ongoing enquiry.”
Not that there are no people backing the VC. Irshad Ahmad, a politician who has recently been elected to the University Court, fully favours the Vice Chancellor for whatever he is doing and points an accusing finger at those opposing the move. Says he: “We will have to give a chance to the VC. This decision is being opposed because nothing like this has happened in the past. Are we not doing such things which we have not done earlier? Let us first allow the Centers to come up. Naturally provisions will be incorporated openly or discreetly in due course of time for providing proper representation to students of the Community.”
Meanwhile, while unfolding the broad spectrum of multi-phased development strategy, Prof. Azis has said that by June next year AMU Centers would likely to move into their new campuses at Malappuram and Murshidabad. He has also suggested the courses that will be run at the Centers, commencing with MBA and BA-LLB in the first phase.
Saturday, July 17, 2010
The Raging Debate
Thursday, June 10, 2010
Intellectual community solidly behind AMU VC over establishment of Centres
Talking exclusively to Life Watch, Vice Chancellor Prof. PK Abdul Azis said: “If our community has not been able to make progress so far, it is because of such people. Neither they do something themselves nor they allow others to do constructive work. You have seen to what extent all the people were favouring the idea of Centers. But these people will continue to oppose.”
Added Prof. NAK Durrani, Chairman Department of Mass Communication and Media Advisor-AMU: “Look back in history. The people who are opposing now were also the people who opposed former Vice Chancellors. Not one Vice Chancellor since independence has been left to work in peace. Now that our present VC has taken the most innovative and constructive step for the community since the times of Sir Syed, they are again opposing tooth and nail.”
During the meeting in New Delhi, Prof. PK Abdul Aziz unfolded the elaborated action plan and said that Murshidabad and Malappuram Special Centres of AMU will become functional with MBA and BA-LLB academic progremmes from the next academic session. Said Prof. Azis: “The setting up of five centres across the nation will transform the fate of excluded minority from development deficit to a life of dignified existence.”
Elaborating in detail, Prof. Azis said that West Bengal, Kerala, Bihar and the Central Government’s willing support in promoting education among Muslim community and to bring them into the national mainstream by expanding the benefit of education to Muslims also provided focus on the issue and helped us formulate the policy to widen the AMU’s campus network by establishing five Special Centres. The proposal is a powerful projection of an ambitious plan in the direction of academic and research programmes to be initiated by AMU to meet the challenging needs of the marginalized and excluded social classes, he added.
He clarified that the idea behind setting up special Centres is to provide easy access to modern education to the most educationally deprived social class so that the national goal of equity, access and inclusion of the excluded is accomplished. It is indeed a national duty bestowed upon AMU to promote education among the Muslims.
Prof. Azis pointed out that keeping in view the suggestion of Sachar and Fatmi Committees, the school education also received its due attention in the overall scheme of the Special Centres. High priority would be given to women’s education and a sub-committee of experts and activists to promote women’s education would be constituted, he added.
The most notable feature of the National Consultation Meet was the presence of distinguished intellectuals, educationists and parliamentarians from across the country and abroad. Some of AMUs alumnis flew across the seas from the US and came to attend the Meet.
Syed Ali Rizvi, President, Federation of Aligarh Alumni Associations in the US told Life Watch: “I can vouch for the fact that this Vice Chancellor is really concerned about the well-being of the community. He was our guest on the Independence Day this year. He had one option of being the Chief Guest at an Independence Day function and the other of going to see a charitable institution run by our Federation. Our VC chose the later, though few men of the world would do so.”
Saner voices like those of Wahid Chowhan, Managing Director, Likproof India Pvt. Ltd. talked of the need to exercise caution. He said that we must ensure that good infrastructure is built at all the Centers and the money that is available is properly utilized.
(Due to paucity of space and time, we are unable to carry the views expressed by the participants in the National Consultation Meet in detail. Read the views of these participants and the views that we receive on the article published above in the forthcoming issue of Life Watch. Those who do not wish their identity to be revealed too may send their views.)
RESIDENTIAL CHARACTER OF AMU IN JEOPARDY
[Voices are raging in favour and against the AMU VC’s decision to establish Satellite University Centres in West Bengal, Bihar and Kerala. Life Watch presents here the view of Dr. Nafees Ahmad (Retd. Professor of Opthalmic Biochemistry) on the issue.]
Voices are being raised and forceful arguments being made against proposed satellite AMU Special Centres. But most of the AMU Alumni seem indifferent on this issue. To me, this is an issue to be taken up very seriously by the well wishers and Alumni of AMU. I remember well and there are still so many persons alive who are a witness to the long struggle fought by the AMU Action Committee, starting from 1965 to 1980, for the restoration of Minority and Residential Character of AMU. The present Act of 1981 was accepted by the Action Committee under protest for the reason that the Act thought guarantees the residential character yet it doesn’t accept AMU a Minority Institution in clear terms, to be governed under Article 30 of the Constitution.
The issue of Minority Character is still pending before the Supreme Court. As far as the Residential Character is concerned, we on our own are giving it away by establishing the so called Satellite University Centres. The proposed AMU centres at Kishanganj, Murshidabad and Mallepuram etc. may provide political mileage to the ruling parties or to the over enthusiastic VC, who may gain sympathy in the ongoing Visitor’s enquiry against him for his financial and other irregularities but this shall be suicidal for the very existence of AMU. The very first sentence of the act says “Whereas it is expedient to incorporate a teaching and residential Muslim University at Aligarh, and to……”. It was for this reason that the clause 2(9A) was added to the Act by the founders of the University, which reads “To establish within a radius of 25 km of the University Mosque such Special Centres, Specialized laboratories or other units for research and instruction as are, in the opinion of the University, necessary for the furtherance of its objects”. This leaves no room for the establishment of centres/campuses beyond this limit.
Unless the University is technically declared a Minority Institution in letter and spirit, it can neither reserve seats for Muslims in AMU nor in the Special Centres/Campuses. The Muslim predominance in the University at present is maintained because of internal- and certain other quotas. It is not because of priority admissions to Muslims. Hown then Muslim majority in the satellite centres can be guaranteed? Recently Mr. Nitish Kumar, Chief Minister, Bihar, came out with a statement to satisfy the Sangh Parivar, who were agitating against the proposed AMU Campus in Kishanganj. He said, as published in so many newspapers, that there will be no Muslim reservation in this centre. The VC too issued a similar statement. After this the agitation was withdrawn. Is there still any doubt about the intentions behind such a move? Can one observe the contradictions? How funny it looks that the Government of India declares to establish these centres/campuses for educational uplift of Muslims whereas Mr. Nitish Kumar and our Hon’ble VC say there shall be open competitions for admissions just like in other institutions and no priority to the Muslims shall be given.
The old lot of very sincere and committed AMU Alumni, under the able leadership of Dr. AJ Faridi, Qazi Adeel Abbasi, Mr. Shafiqurrahman, Mr. Zafar Siddiqui, Dr. Ishtiaq Husain Quraishi, etc. fought their best for the restoration of the Minority and Residential character of the University. During this long struggle dozens of anti-Muslim riots erupted causing the loss of hundreds of Muslim lives and crores of their property. Hundreds of Muslims were thrown behind bars. Our VC who comes from Kerala may not be aware of these sacrifices. The above leaders were very far sighted. They knew that the dilution of the residential character means opening the doors of affiliation for the local colleges with the University, which shall defeat the entire purpose of AMU. Therefore, following the footsteps of the founders of the University, they too insisted for the restoration of the clause 5(9A) in the University Act. Now our VC, ignorant of repercussions, is going to practically abolish this condition. Alas! None of the above leaders is alive today. Had they been alive they would have certainly been on the roads to oppose this move tooth and nail. Shall we not take up the cause now?
I may agree that the present central government sincerely wants educational uplift of Muslims. It can establish these centres under independent management and/or upgrade the existing Muslim colleges, spread all over India, for the purpose instead of establishing these under the management of AMU and endangering the basic character of the University. Simultaneously the Government could also have amended the AMU Act suitably to declare AMU a Minority Institution governed under Article 30 of the Constitution, which it has failed to do.
The former Vice Chancellors of AMU and those who have remained associated with the administration know very well that AMU, having over eighty hostels at the campus, about hundred departments of studies, several colleges and schools, has become unwieldy to properly manage, administer, maintain discipline and academic standards. The whole system needs thorough revamping if we really want to have exemplary discipline and academic standards worthy of a premier National and International institution. The VC, though an academician, has utterly failed to concentrate on this prime issue. His main thrust is on money oriented schemes, be it needed or not such as C.C. TV, over expensive repair of VC lodge, various constructions through outside agencies etc. How does a VC who most often remains out of station and has no time to concentrate on such issues, visualize to properly administering the Centres on day to day basis situated so far away from Aligarh?
The VC could have called a meeting of the former Vice Chancellors, concerned academicians and legal experts to have a thread bare discussion before proceeding on this important but very critical issue. Instead, he seems to have made it a prestige issue and wants to get it implemented at any cost. He looks least bothered about the Minority or residential character of the University. His concern to the Minority cause is evident from the fact that the University has failed to appear before the Supreme Court on three consecutive hearings in February, 2010 without any leave application by the University Counsel and the said counsel is still continuing.
I believe that the disrespect to the VC amounts to disrespect to the University. But under the circumstances I am left with no option but to express my feelings with a heavy heart. I feel extremely sorry for these comments against our VC but I clearly see our Alma Mater being in peril with the steps he is very hurriedly taking without giving a sincere thought.
(By Nafees Ahmad)
(Life Watch invites views of teachers and students of AMU and other concerned citizens on the aforementioned subject. Kindly mail your views to lifewatch@rediffmail.com)