Sri Vijaya Puram, Feb. 9: The Students Federation of India (SFI), Andaman & Nicobar State Organising Committee, has urged the Government of India and the Andaman & Nicobar Administration to reconsider the decision to disaffiliate colleges in the Islands from Pondicherry University, stating that the move could severely impact the future of higher education in the region.
A resolution to this effect was adopted during a meeting of the SFI held at Sri Vijaya Puram (Port Blair) today. The organisation expressed grave concern and anguish over what it described as the continuous neglect and rejection of demands raised by SFI and the student community regarding the continued affiliation of all seven colleges in the Islands with Pondicherry University.
Moving the resolution, Abdul Warish, Convener of the SFI A&N State Organising Committee, stated that the affiliation of colleges with Pondicherry University had been a settled matter since the University’s establishment through an Act of Parliament in 1985, with Island colleges affiliating from the academic session 1988–89. He noted that Pondicherry University, being a Central University, continues to be one of the prominent universities in the country and that its certificates enjoy wide acceptance nationwide.
The meeting observed that following the establishment of a Deemed University — Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose Institute of Higher Learning — the Government of India, through a notification dated March 8, 2024, affiliated all seven existing colleges with the newly formed institution. SFI alleged that the decision to shift affiliation from Pondicherry University to the Deemed University was taken unilaterally without adequate consultation.
Participants expressed concern that examination-related matters and other academic issues of thousands of students, including medical students, have been transferred to the Deemed University despite it allegedly lacking sufficient infrastructure and academic resources. The organisation further pointed out that the Deemed University has been constituted under a society registered under the Societies Registration Act, 1960, and does not have the same statutory backing as State or Central Universities on the mainland.
The SFI meeting also highlighted that the Deemed University is currently functioning from a one-room office within the JNRM complex and is being managed by an Officer on Special Duty. According to the federation, affiliating all seven colleges with such a newly established institution could adversely affect the quality of higher education in the Islands. Concerns were also raised about the possibility of gradual fee increases, which may put additional financial burden on students from economically weaker and rural backgrounds, thereby limiting access to higher education.
The organisation further noted that many colleges in the Islands are already facing challenges, including vacant posts of principals and a shortage of regular teaching staff, with a significant portion of academic work being handled by guest, ad-hoc, and contractual faculty members.
Stating that the decision to disaffiliate colleges instead of strengthening existing institutions is detrimental to students’ interests, the SFI announced that it has decided to resort to agitation on the issue in the coming days. The resolution has been forwarded to print and electronic media for wider coverage.
