"Debate Grows Over Ritual Practices and Academic Freedom in Universities"
Academic freedom
the ability of faculty and students to teach, research, and express ideas without institutional or political interference
Scientific temper
a disposition to question, verify, and reason from evidence, made a Fundamental Duty under Article 51A(h)
India's Constitution embeds secularism as part of its basic structure, guaranteed through Articles 25 to 28. It also places a specific duty on citizens under Article 51A(h), added by the 42nd Amendment, 1976, to develop scientific temper, humanism, and the spirit of inquiry and reform. This duty was meant to anchor public institutions, especially universities, in a culture of rational inquiry rather than deference to tradition or authority.
Higher education governance in India rests on the University Grants Commission (UGC), a statutory body created under the UGC Act, 1956, to coordinate standards across universities. Early architects of India's university system, including the Radhakrishnan Commission of 1948-49 and the Kothari Commission of the 1960s, argued that academic freedom and institutional autonomy were essential preconditions for a university to function as a genuine centre of knowledge production. These commissions envisioned universities as spaces insulated from political and religious pressure, where inquiry could proceed without deference to external authority.
The UGC's regulatory reach extends to faculty recruitment norms, Vice-Chancellor eligibility, and curriculum standards, giving the central government significant leverage over how universities actually function. Recent changes have relaxed the academic qualifications required for Vice-Chancellors and removed the 10% cap that previously limited how many faculty positions a university could fill with non-permanent, contract-based appointees. Both changes shift power away from tenured faculty bodies towards administrations more responsive to government preference, and they accelerate the casualisation of the academic workforce. …
Consider the following statements regarding Fundamental Duties under the Constitution of India:
1.They were added by the 42nd Constitutional Amendment Act, 1976.
2.They are directly enforceable by courts in the same manner as Fundamental Rights.
3.Article 51A(h) obliges citizens to develop scientific temper, humanism, and the spirit of inquiry and reform.
Which of the statements given above are correct?
With reference to statutory bodies regulating education in India, match List I with List II and select the correct answer using the codes given below:
List I (Body)
A.University Grants Commission (UGC)
B.All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE)
C.National Council for Teacher Education (NCTE)
D.National Assessment and Accreditation Council (NAAC)
List II (Primary Mandate)
1.Accreditation of higher education institutions
2.Coordination and maintenance of standards of university education
3.Approval and standards for technical education
4.Standards and recognition for teacher education programmes
Which of the following statements about the University Grants Commission (UGC) is correct?
Consider the following statements regarding recent changes to University Grants Commission (UGC) regulations on university faculty and administration:
1.The cap limiting non-permanent (contract-based) faculty appointments to 10% of total positions has been removed.
2.Eligibility criteria for appointment of Vice-Chancellors have been relaxed.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
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