Savitribai Phule Pune University is all set to conduct its Senate elections after seven years as the new Maharashtra Public University Act, 2016, was passed this year. The delay in conducting the Senate election has already grabbed limelight but what has caught the public attention is that more than 81,000 graduate voters have registered this year making it the highest voting list in the state.
It has also received 143 nominations against 16 seats that include 10 registered graduates and six management representatives. Moreover, in nomination candidates’ list, two names have popped up, i.e. former deputy chief minister Ajit Pawar’s wife Sunetra and Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis’s cousin Prasenjit Fadnavis.
Ahead of Senate election scheduled on November 19, let us look at why is this election is so important.
What is senate election?
Senate is a group of representatives from different constituency like management, academics, non-teaching staff, student, social etc. It consists of 107 members including the chancellor, vice-chancellor, pro vice-chancellor, registrar, director of different institutions, dean of faculties, principals etc. While the chancellor directly nominates 91 members, remaining 16 members, including public representatives, are elected by the graduates of the university. Hence, the Senate elections are conducted once in every five years as per the State Public University Act.
Role of a Senate
A Senate is a representative body of the different constituencies for which it has a huge responsibility. The Senate is the principal authority for all financial estimates and budgetary appropriations and for providing social feedback to the university on current and future academic programmes. It can be called as a recommendation authority, as its primary responsibility is to give suggestions to management and academic council on development of a policy such as making, amending or abolishing it. Basically, it gives suggestions for improvement of academics, research, and development, governance and administration. This body meets twice a year as per the act.
Significance of Senate
Senate works as a catalyst between university and public and it has the responsibility to weigh the decisions made by management council and academic council to understand whether they will be beneficial for students.
Like in 2013-14, the management council had decided to abolish the external degree system wherein a student is not required to be physically present for lectures and have 75 per cent attendance to appear for the examination. The Senate challenged the decision stating that by excluding this system, it will restrict many students from seeking education.
Senate plays a vital role in budget discussions. For example, it has helped in appraising the budgets for ‘quality improvement program’ and ‘earn and learn scheme’ from Rs 50 lakh to Rs 50 crore and Rs 7 crore respectively. They had also given a stern advice to revamp university’s examination centre and that it should consider removal of the then controller of examination Sampada Joshi for several malpractices accounted in her workbook.
Political personality presence
Why does the university senate body consist of political persons? When it comes to the existence of political personality in a body especially in education, many controversies and arguments take a front seat. There are many reasons. One of the sources stated that generally, these personalities are unaware of the university statutes, budget and agenda etc and yet they are relevant to the body because they represent society. As these leaders are highly influential, they are able to give a feedback to the university and how they can improve their
social presence in the society.
Political faces have been part of Senate ever since its inception. Earlier, prominent political faces like late Dr Daulatrao Aher, former Maharashtra health minister and a senior leader of BJP and late Dr Vasantrao Pawar, founder of the Maratha Vidya Prasarak Samaj’s Medical College and Congress leader (who was in both management council and medical advisory committee of academic council) were active members of Senate for over a decade.
Nevertheless, this year’s senate election is something to be looked at not for political candidates but for the forthcoming senate meeting in 2018, as it has to resolve a host of challenges facing the varsity for past two years as no senate body had actively probed into problems of students and management.
