Goa says no to central varsity status to GU

NT NETWORK
Posted on 2008-12-01
PANAJI- The state government has decided against accordance of central university status to the Goa University and would convey this decision to the Prime Minister, Dr Manmohan Singh at a meeting which would take place in a few days, informed the Education Minister, Mr Atannasio Monserrate on Sunday.
The state government had initially written to the Centre that it wanted central varsity status to the GU, but has subsequently backtracked amidst opposition.
“Goa University will remain as Goa University,” categorically stated Mr Monserrate speaking to The Navhind Times, but added, “We do not mind if another central university comes.”
A few days ago, the Rajya Sabha MP, Mr Shantaram Naik had told the media that he had called on the Chief Minister, Mr Digambar Kamat on this issue. He had informed that the government had taken a stand which sought exclusion of the Goa varsity from the list of universities to be accorded the status of central universities.
Informing that a meeting of the standing committee would be held on December 5, he had urged the government to make Goa’s stand clear.
The central universities bill, 2008, seeking to upgrade various universities, including Goa University, to central varsity status is due to come before the standing committee of the Union HRD ministry on December 5 for scrutiny.
This debate about whether we should have a central university or no has been going on for some time now with proponents and opponents on both sides of the fence.
The Goa University Vice-Chancellor, Prof Dilip Deobagkar, who is for the proposal, had gone on record saying that the upgradation would facilitate better infrastructure and adequate funding besides benefiting the students with lower fee structure, while Fr Romualdo de Souza, founder of Goa Institute of Management, is on record saying that instead of upgrading GU we should opt for another world-class university for the state.