Patna: The state govt’s proposal to replace separate laws governing state universities with a single unified legislation has triggered strong opposition from academics at the 108-year-old Patna University (PU), who fear the move will erode the institution’s distinct identity and historic character. However, state higher education director N K Agrawal said the proposed legislation is aimed at modernising higher education and addressing administrative complications arising from multiple university Acts.Agrawal said the state education department and the chancellor’s secretariat have initiated steps to draft a unified Act that will govern all state universities and incorporate contemporary best practices followed by universities across the country.“Because of the complications arising from having different Acts, the state education department and the chancellor’s secretariat have initiated steps to draft a unified Act that will govern all state universities. The new unified Act will go a long way in modernising the higher education system of the state,” he said.The proposed unification of the Patna University Act, 1976 and the Bihar State Universities Act, 1976, as amended from time to time, has irked the academics of Patna University, the sixth-oldest university in the Indian subcontinent.PU teachers apprehend that having a single Act for all conventional universities in the state will strip the premier institution of its distinct identity and place it on a par with other universities.Criticising the proposal, Patna University Teachers’ Association president Sheo Sagar Prasad said bringing PU at par with other universities would undermine its status as one of India’s oldest premier institutions and take away its historic distinctiveness and residential character.Prasad said shifting PU’s focus from a premier residential and research hub into a largely affiliating body might dilute its academic environment and academic excellence. The university’s teachers and non-teaching staff have historically opposed such moves, arguing that inter-university transfers could lead to the arbitrary displacement of staff, he said.Patna University was established on Oct 1, 1917 under the Patna University Act, 1917 passed by the Imperial Legislative Council. It initially functioned as an affiliating and examining body with jurisdiction extending across Bihar, Odisha and the Kingdom of Nepal. After Independence, the Patna University Act of 1951-52 transformed it into a teaching-cum-residential university, while its territorial jurisdiction was later confined to metropolitan Patna. Other universities were subsequently brought under the Bihar State Universities Act.At present, conventional universities in Bihar are governed by the Patna University Act, 1976 and the Bihar State Universities Act, 1976, with amendments made from time to time. Besides these, the state has separate legislation governing institutions such as Nalanda Open University, Aryabhatta Knowledge University, Bihar Agricultural University, private universities, Bihar Animal Sciences University, Bihar Engineering University, Bihar University of Health Sciences and Bihar Sports University.
