ABSTRACT
Regulation and control of higher education in India has encouraged the bureaucratisation of governance and seriously undermined the autonomy of institutions of higher education. ‘The Committee to Advise on Renovation and Rejuvenation of Higher Education’ chaired by Professor Yashpal (MHRD, 2006) felt that universities have become highly centralised at the levels of the vice chancellors and registrars and it argued for autonomy when it suggested that the ‘principle of autonomy and self-regulation’ are important to initiate reforms in the sector. The committee recommended a faculty-led governance in the universities and the need to minimise the control of the government on institutions of higher education. Institutional autonomy has suffered due to external political influence. For example, the influence of political and extra-academic factors in the appointment of vice chancellors of the university has been a key factor in adversely impacting the autonomy of a university. It also paves the way for creating alliances between university leader and government officials, enabling government to have control over university affairs. The appointment of university leader such as the vice chancellor of the university vests with the chancellor or the state government in many state universities. The process of appointment has till recently been ad hoc and non-transparent and the position was filled by persons who could influence the selection process. The formation of independent search committee, as the recent UGC Guidelines (2010) suggest, has also not been free from such influences. The autonomy of the university was compromised right from the recruitment and selection process of the university leader.
