Union Minister for Human Resource Development Prakash Javadekar on Sunday said he was ready to meet the Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) students who were protesting against the University Grants Commission’s notification on M.Phil/Ph.D admissions.
The JNU Students’ Union had submitted memorandums to the Ministry last week on the issue as well as conducted a protest outside the Ministry.
“The rules for Ph.D admissions, which the UGC has given, are operational in 799 universities worldwide. If there is a problem for one University, I am open to meeting anybody,” Mr. Javadekar said.
Protests by the students continue despite a Standing Committee on Admissions assuring them that the deprivation points system of JNU will not be done away with and that there will be a three-tier entrance test consisting of a qualifying test (OMR type), where all students need to get 50% for moving on to the next stage of a descriptive-type written test and viva voce.
The University said the issues discussed at the meeting would be taken up with UGC officials before finalising the admission policy.
‘Call off hunger strike’
Meanwhile, Registrar Pramod Kumar on Sunday appealed to students to call off their hunger strike.
He said, “The strike is unwarranted when the JNU administration is doing everything possible to ensure social justice and take care of students’ concerns. The protesters are urged not to spoil the future of the other students.”
Students have alleged that the administration changed the minutes of the meeting held by the Standing Committee and that they falsified facts.
