WB teachers’ bodies oppose political chancellors in state universities

Two teachers’ associations in West Bengal on Tuesday asserted that the Chancellor of state universities should be an academician and not a politician , amid the continuing stand-off over control of higher education institutions in the state.

The remarks came after President Droupadi Murmu withheld assent to three amendment Bills passed by the West Bengal Assembly , which sought to replace the Governor with the Chief Minister as Chancellor of state-run universities. With the Bills remaining unsigned, Governor C V Ananda Bose will continue to function as Chancellor , in accordance with existing legal provisions.

A senior functionary of the West Bengal College and University Teachers Association (WBCUTA) , Subhoday Dasgupta, said it was believed that the Chancellorship should be held by a distinguished academic, irrespective of the fate of the proposed legislation. It was further stated that neither the Governor nor the Chief Minister should occupy the post, and that the position ought to be entrusted to an eminent educationist.

A similar view was expressed by the Jadavpur University Teachers Association (JUTA) . Its general secretary, Partha Pratim Roy , said it was believed that the Chancellor must be an academician rather than a political figure, and that the office-holder should be actively involved in addressing the academic and administrative challenges faced by universities.

The demand, teachers’ bodies argue, is grounded in the nature of the Chancellor’s role, which includes regulating academic affairs, overseeing appointments, and ensuring institutional autonomy functions that pertain to educational governance rather than political administration.

However, they pointed out that there has been a growing tendency among state governments to influence university leadership by nominating Vice-Chancellors and Chancellors with political affiliations or backgrounds. In West Bengal, this has been reflected in prolonged disputes over VC appointments across several universities, leading to administrative paralysis, court interventions, and Supreme Court scrutiny in recent years.

Educationists note that the ongoing conflict between the state government and the Governor over university control has disrupted academic functioning, delayed appointments, and affected policy decisions across multiple campuses. Against this backdrop, teachers’ associations maintain that placing universities under the stewardship of independent, non-political academics is essential to safeguard institutional autonomy and academic freedom.