The Union Education Minister’s condition that States that do not implement the National Education Policy (NEP) will be denied funds is the “height of arrogance”, State Higher Education Minister Govi Chezhiaan has said.

He was addressing a meeting held to discuss the University Grants Commission’s (UGC’s) draft recommendations in Thiruvananthapuram on Thursday.

The Minister said the Union Ministry was trying to impose Hindi and Sanskrit, and Hindutva ideals through the NEP’s three-language formula.

However, the State would continue to fight for the rights of students, teachers and its educational institutions, he said.

He further described as undemocratic the Union government’s statement that it would disaffiliate those State universities that did not implement the NEP and the multiple entry and exit option.

Referring to a Supreme Court judgment that a State that refused to accept the UGC’s regulations cannot be forced to comply with them, he said the UGC should include the State at every point of discussion on developing regulations.

The State universities have been established through statutes drawn by the State government, and they have the first right to appoint Vice-Chancellor (V-C) search committees, he said.

Not having a State government representative in the V-C search panel is denying the State’s autonomy, he further said.

On the UGC’s regulations for faculty, Mr. Chezhiaan said it was inappropriate to appoint teachers who were not qualified in the field that they would be teaching, he said.

Faculty who had cleared NET/SET in a subject other than the required specialisation would not be able to teach effectively, and it would affect the students’ ability to learn, he said.

Instead of praising the State’s Illam Thedi Kalvi scheme that had been appreciated by the Economic Survey tabled in Parliament, the Union government was blackmailing the State by refusing to allocate funds, the Minister said.