Ujjain (Madhya Pradesh): The much-hyped meeting of Vikram University (VU)’s executive council (EC) turned out to be a damp squib, here on Thursday, as the public members (political appointees) gave preference to personal interests rather than having a discussion on the lowering of VUs' grade by the NAAC.
The meeting was specially convened on the demand of public members of the EC who had shown displeasure on the VU being given B++ grade by the NAAC team. They took it as an exception that during their tenure as EC members the VU was demoted vis-à-vis A grade which it got in 2015. The VU administration had also said that after having a discussion in Thursday’s meeting they will knock on the doors of NAAC again for the review of their grade and will request them to maintain an A grade at least.
However, other issues were prominently discussed in the EC meeting as the public members wanted to clear proposals for construction works, purchasing, obliging the staff and taking on their opponents. As soon as the issue of NAAC’s grade came for discussion after lunch, the public members reportedly asked the concerned authorities to put it for discussion in the next meeting which may be convened on November 11, as disclosed by an EC member to Free Press.
Soon before the start of the meeting, ABVP activists staged a symbolic protest over the lowering of VU's grade. They said the VU was demoted despite all assurances. They took objection to no review being done after such an awkward situation. They also pooh-poohed the statement of VC Pandey that getting B++ grade should not be treated as less significant than getting an A grade. The ABVP demanded that strict action be taken against all those persons whose lack of interest brought shame to the VU in NAAC’s gradation.
