HYDERABAD : The Ordinance to amend the AP State Universities Act has no provisions to free universities from political and bureaucratic influ- ence.

Academicians feel that the Ordinance to amend the AP State Universities Act, approved in November 2010, was just an eyewash.

Reluctant to give up its control over the universities, the state government has deviated from the UGC norms.

Despite all the hype, the Ordinance approved by the government to amend the AP State Universities Act has no provisions to free universities from political and bureaucratic influence.

Experts also say that the Ordinance does not really comply with the revised guidelines issued by the University Grants Commission on selecting vice-chancellors.

The norms specified by the UGC and those listed in the Ordinance are contradictory, exposing the lack of commitment and sincerity on the part of the state government to bring reforms in the higher education sector.

Unfortunately, the state government seems to be in no mood to give up its control over the universities despite the Governor and the Chancellor of Universities, Mr E.S.L. Narasimhan, also pitching for reforms ever since he assumed office in February 2010.

The Ordinance was the result of relentless efforts made by Mr Narasimhan since February 2010, when the state government first agreed to implement the revised UGC norms in the appointment of VCs.

However, the Ordinance approved by the state government after deliberating for more than nine months, does nothing of that sort.

The UGC rules say that a search committee should recommend between three and five names in the panel.

Members of the search committee should be persons of national eminence in the sphere of higher education and should not be connected in any manner to the university concerned or its colleges. While preparing the panel, the search committee must give proper weight to academic excellence and experience and should also adopt a transparent process.

However, the Ordinance specifies no guidelines for the appointment of members for search committees.

Though the UGC rules say that a nominee of the chancellor should be the chairperson of the committee, and nominees of the UGC and the university syndicate should be members, the Ordinance gives all the powers to the state government.

Thus, the principal secretary will chair the meeting and send the panel of names to the Governor for approval. The only thing that is common to both the UGC norms and the Ordinance is that the Governor will select the VC from among the three names, unlike earlier when the state government used to choose one and send it to the Governor for formal approval.