Smriti Irani interfering, assertive, says UGC member M M Ansari

“There is excessive interference from the minister in the UGC. One saw it in the FYUP issue, or in the way the ministry first decided on the Swacch Bharat implementation in the education sector and then informed us and asked us to send a circular to universities, or in how she announced the Swami Vivekanand scholarship programme for a single girl child without consulting us. The ministry has been simply imposing decisions. Any decision of the UGC should emerge from an exercise within the UGC,” Ansari told The Indian Express.

The former CIC termed Irani’s decisions as being “very arbitrary” and “abrupt” and claimed she was “too assertive”. Ansari, who has been a UGC member since 2012, also questioned Irani’s capabilities to lead the crucial education sector.

“The minister has no exposure of the education system. She has to depend on notes from bureaucrats, who have been well-planted by the government in the ministry, and think tanks comprising those from RSS and BJP. So how will she interact with academicians if she does not know the issues? It is demoralising for us,” he said, adding “all appointments were being made bypassing procedures”.

He also criticised the ministry’s move to scrap German as a third language in KVs mid-session and said in a globalised world, it was important to give children the choice to pick what language they want to study.

Ansari also slammed the appointment of Ram Shankar Katheria as Minister of State for HRD. Katheria has been in the midst of controversy over allegations that his graduation marksheet was forged.

“There have been several questions about Katheria’s marksheets. We don’t know the truth but there can be no smoke without fire.

such ministers, there will be a bad impact on children, an adverse impact on the youth. HRD Ministry talks of youth empowerment and then we have such ministers to lead the education system,” he said.

Ansari’s term with the UGC expires in August next year.