Miscellaneous
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This Day That Age
dated December 12, 1951: A. L. Mudaliar Stresses University Autonomy
On the 11th in Cuttack, delivering the Convocation Address of Utkal University, Dr. A. Lakshamanaswami Mudaliar, Vice-Chancellor of Madras University, pleaded for maximum autonomy for Universities and minimum State interference. He said, ``With the rapid increase of State functions and duties, and the responsibilities expected to be assumed in a Welfare State, there is little reason to be surprised in the attitude of many even educated people towards what Universities stand for. A University cannot afford to be an insulated place where theories and concepts can be discussed intellecutally without reference to current problems and the many needs of society to solve which Universities ought to contribute. The modern University has, however, to steer clear of the two extremes, the Scylla of isolationism and the Charybids of commercial utilitarianism. ...This naturally leads to the topic of the relationship of the State with Universities. At the sixth Congress of Commonwealth Universities held in Oxford in 1948, Sir Walter Moberly, then Chairman of the University Grants Committee, observed, `Universities are powerful, influential corporations that perform functions of high public importance. The supreme political authority can nowhere be completely disinterested in the affairs of Universities. But, a high degree of autonomy is absolutely necessary for the functions of Universities to be properly performed. To maintain this autonomy, great vigilance is necessary. Anything which threatens the autonomy of Universities must be resisted, whatever form it takes. All of us have seen examples of political interference. It maybe an uninstructed popular outcry for quick and tangible returns based on an undervaluing of, and almost contempt for, the sort of thing which the State's coarse thumb and finger fail to plumb. It may be only a flattering and crushing demand for services of all kinds. In all these ways, demands may be made upon Universities, inconsistent with the carrying out of their function as they understand it; all these demands must be resisted. Those words of wisdom merit serious consideration at the hands of Universities in India, and at the present juncture in particular. No University can claim to be completely autonomous in the sense that it must not be influenced by, and, when it does not function properly, be controlled and supervised through such means as are laid down by statutory authority. But such interference and control can only be on rare occasions when the need for an enquiry through a Commission appointed by the State becomes obvious''.
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