College owners set to dominate NU senate

Though the Secular Panel trounced its rival Young Teachers' Association (YTA) in the management constituency of  Nagpur University's senate by winning five out of nine seats, the increasing number of private management oqwners entering NU's top body is raising concern in academic circles. Most of those who won the polls are owners having a string of colleges.

Among those emerged victorious from management quota include Abhijit Wanjari who runs Wanjari group of institutions having law and engineering colleges, Shobha, wife of Sunil Raisoni, another education baron having colleges of all faculties, Rajesh Bhoyar, owner of arts and commerce colleges in Wardha, and others. The details of other candidates were not known but many of them are on the top post in the college managements or are owners themselves.

Other candidates in the fray were Ashok Bansod, Rajendra Deshmukh, Ravindra Fadnavis, Nandkishor Khatri, Vijay Mogre, Kiran Nerkar, Sharad Titarmare, Kishor Umathe, Yogesh Kumbhalkar, Rajashri Mundafale, Ushakiran Thute. Those who contested for management representatives on the academic council were - Abhijit Gupta, Anil Mhashakhetri, Sudhakar Moglewar, Dinesh Wanjari, besides Kumbhalkar.

Academicians questioned very basis on which they were given a chance to be on NU statutory bodies without any qualifications. For other constituencies like teachers, principals, there is a stringent eligibility criterion. They claimed that these people were entering with "ulterior motives". According to them, these members were never serious about university's development and never raised any issues concerning the students. "They are only interested in commercialisation of education sector and how to clear their new colleges without having infrastructure or facilities," they charged.

TOI on Saturday reported how the private college managements were trying to control NU administration for their benefit while citing example of how academic council granted affiliation to 140 new colleges in just two hours without verification or discussion last year. Academicians fear that despite amendments in the eligibility criteria of statutory bodies like academic, management councils and senate, the private college managements will hold a sway on all of them, just like previous terms.

NU has grown unwieldy due to mushrooming of colleges and courses. In the last four years, the affiliated colleges had doubled from 400 to 800 while number of students swelled to 4.5 lakh. The exam and results schedule has gone haywire as a result.