Neither Protests, Nor Graffiti, This Is What Cost Jadavpur University ‘Institute Of Eminence’ Tag
"The Empowered Experts Committee (EEC) considered the revised proposal of Jadavpur University and observed that there was a steep decline in the budget from the earlier projected amount of Rs 3,299 crore to Rs 606 crore, and such a steep decline in the budget was...Read More
The Jadavpur University (JU), once considered a benchmark in education, lost out in the race for the Institute of Eminence (IoE) status this year.
Of late, the JU has been popular for all the wrong reasons. Latest addition to the series of political protests on the campus is the ‘Azad Kashmir’ and ‘Free Palestine’ graffiti spotted on a wall near gate number three of the university.
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Bharatiya Janata Party’s (BJP) MP Samik Bhattacharya decided to question the union education ministry about the reason behind the loss. And it was not the protests or the grafitti.
On Wednesday, Sukanta Majumdar, Minister of State for Education and Bhattacharya’s colleague in the Bengal BJP, answered Bhattacharya’s unstarred question.
“The Empowered Experts Committee (EEC) considered the revised proposal of Jadavpur University and observed that there was a steep decline in the budget from the earlier projected amount of Rs 3,299 crore to Rs 606 crore, and such a steep decline in the budget was not conducive to realising the target set for the IoE institutions," it said.
In other words, the ministry said that if one projects a budget of Rs 3,299 crore and drastically scales it down to Rs 606 crore, it cannot be considered an ‘institution of eminence’.
“Accordingly, the EEC recommended the UGC to drop Jadavpur University from the list of IoE institutions," the minister answered.
Interestingly, BJP MP Samik Bhattacharya claimed, “The central government was willing to fund up to Rs 1,000 crore, but the state government refused to commit its share, jeopardising the entire proposal. Instead of standing by the JU, the West Bengal government slashed the budget to Rs 1,015 crore, then further down to just Rs 606 crore, expecting the university to generate 25% of funds on its own."
The JU has been embroiled in protests this month. While West Bengal education minister Bratya Basu was heckled, and his car was vandalised, protesters alleged that the minister’s car ran over a student.
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