Assam: university

The prestigious Cotton College of Guwahati would soon turn into a state university if the state government have its way. At present the college is affiliated with Gauhati University. The state assembly has unanimously passed the bill to upgrade the college to a state university on July 20.

The Cotton College, which was established in 1901, has not only been imparting education at the degree and post graduate levels, but has also been running various professional courses. The upgrade of the college to either an autonomous institution or a state university has been a long-standing demand of its alumni and faculty members.

This year, during the budget session of the state Assembly, Assam Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi announced that Cotton College will be elevated to a non-affiliating state university. However, what the government finally came up with on July 18 was the proposal to turn the Cotton College into a state level affiliating university.

According to the Cotton College State University Bill, 2011, the Chief Minister of Assam will be the chancellor of the newly established university and he will have the right to make any decisions. “Whenever any question arises as to whether any person has been duly elected, appointed, chosen or nominated as, or is entitled to be a member of any authority or body of the university or whether any decision of any of the authorities or of vice-chancellor of the university is in conformity with this act, the statues and the ordinances, the question shall be referred to the chancellor whose decision will be final,” the Bill reads.

But the government's move has not gone down well with the intelligentsia in Assam. In a statement published on July 23, the Association of Past and Present Office bearers of Cotton College Union Society (APPOCCUS) raised questions over state government's move to upgrade the historic cotton college in to an affiliated state level university.

On July 29, the Cotton College Retired Teachers' Forum approached the state Governor J.B. Patnaik and urged him to return the said bill for review and to suggest the government to form a committee of distinguished academicians to review the bill. It also requires the college to transfer all assets, except the liquid assets, to the proposed university. “We will lose all assets of Cotton College, including laboratories and libraries and post-graduate classes. In effect, the present Cotton College will be reduced to an ordinary graduate college,” said Biswajit Chakraborty, general secretary of the former teachers' forum.

Noted writer and former dean of Gauhati University, Dr. Hiren Gohain said, “The new structure shall help the institution provide better education. But CM as the chancellor shall create problems on administrative front.”