Some of the archaic Arabic, Urdu and Sanskrit terms which have been used in “official” communications in universities for decades will now be a thing of the past. References like Paridarsaka for Visitor of a university, Amir-i-Jamia or Acharya (Chancellor), Naib-Amir-i-Jamia (Pro-Chancellor or for that matter Shaikh-ul-Jamia or Upacharya for Vice Chancellor will make way for the anglicised terms in the new Central University of India Act, 2013.
Some of the oldest universities of India now falling under the category of Central University — Banaras Hindu University (1916), Aligarh Muslim University (1920) and Delhi University, (1922) — still use the terms for administrative references. The new Central Universities of India (Teaching, Research and Administration) Bill, 2013 will help to consolidate the laws for uniform legal framework for teaching, research and administration, and will protect additional provisions relating to certain existing specified Central Universities.
A committee set up to draft the Bill submitted its report to the HRD Ministry last week. The ministry has directed the University Grants Commission (UGC) for suggestions through the stakeholders governing Central Universities. “The old terms and references will be omitted and substituted by the English references in the official gazette,” said a HRD Ministry official. Several other references includes Naib-Shaik-ul-Jamia, Anjuman, Samsad, Majlis-i-Muntazzemah, Karya Samiti, Majlis-i- Talimi, Shiksha Samiti, Vitta-Adhikari Musajjil, Karma Sachiva and they will be replaced by new terms and references.
The other new incorporations for a common framework includes establishment of Vice-Chancellors Council who will recommend matters to be approved by the Visitor; a new format of Students’ Council, a Central Teachers Recruitment Board (CTRB); resolution of differences amongst existing specified Central Universities; appointment of Ombudsman; creation of Equal Opportunity Cell; an E-governance cell; Creation of Internal Quality Assurance Cell and evaluation of performance of teachers by External Peer Review.
Further, the new Act will require the Central Universities to promote awareness regarding culture and civilisation of India by promoting educational and cultural advancement of the Muslims of India, besides study of Vedic, Hindu, Buddhist, Jain, other civilisations and cultures at the Central Government sponsored universities. “Conversion of existing specified Central University to self-financing and self-regulation are some of procedure devised in the new Act for transparency and higher academic standards and common entrance tests in the Bill,” added the HRD official.