Academicians write to Governor opposing the inter-university transfer of teachers

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West Bengal Governor R.N. Ravi. File | Photo Credit: The Hindu

Several distinguished academics from the State and other parts of the country have expressed concern over the West Bengal Universities and Colleges (Administration and Regulation) (Amendment) Bill, 2026, saying academic productivity will be troubled seriously as the universities will no longer have any teaching, research and institutional autonomy.

The Bill was passed by the West Bengal Assembly on September 10.

In a letter to the Governor R.N. Ravi, who is also the Chancellor of all the universities, a group of 14 academicians said that every university is a distinct institution with its own academic structure, programmes and requirements, and that transferring faculty from one university to another could disturb the academic balance of both institutions.

"To move staff from one institution to another would impair the structural balance of both institutions and hamper their teaching and research programmes. Such programmes cannot be readily revised or interchanged," they stated. 

They raised concerns over the ongoing research work across the universities. A university has specialized faculty who attract fresh researchers in that field. Laboratory and library facilities are developed to provide for those special areas. If those faculty members are transferred, young research students would be left without recourse. The material resources would lie unused or underused, they said. 

They further pointed out that research funding for the major projects is often linked to the presence of expert faculty members serving as principal investigators. They said interdisciplinary and multi-institutional research projects could be “especially jeopardised” by faculty transfers. 

Academics also argued that the development of newer universities should be undertaken through planned recruitment and adequate funding rather than sporadic transfers of teachers from established institutions.

"We are anxious that the new universities should be developed productively, but this cannot be done by sporadic transfer of faculty from elsewhere. At present, all or most of the new universities are grossly lacking in staff, infrastructure and facilities. Some of them have no full-time teachers at all. These needs must be met with due planning and sufficient funding, with extensive recruitment of permanent staff at all levels," the letter read. 

They also urged the Governor urged to consider a fundamental issue of academic autonomy. 

"All the universities would be brought under centralized administrative control. They could no longer develop freely, each according to its bent. Academic productivity would suffer seriously if university faculty felt they could no longer control their own affairs," they said. 

The letter was written, among others, by Professor Emeritus of Jadavpur University Amita Chatterjee, former Palit Professor of Physics, Calcutta University Amitava Raychaudhuri, former IIM Calcutta Economics Professor Anup Sinha, Jadavpur University Raja Ramanna Professor Anupam Basu, former Rabindra Bharati University V.C. Sabya Sachi Basu Ray Choudhury, Tata Institute of Fundamental Research former Director Sabya Sachu Bhattacharya, former Director of Centre for Studies in Social Sciences, among others. 

The West Bengal Universities and Colleges (Administration and Regulation) Amendment Bill, 2026 was approved by the State Cabinet on September 8. It seeks to add one provision to Section 14A of the existing 2017 Act, which will allow inter-university transfer of both teaching and non-teaching employees as and when required, officials said.

The Bill was tabled by Higher Education Minister Jagannath Chattopadhyay during a special session of the State Assembly.

Addressing the assembly during the tabling of the Bill, Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari said that through the proposed legislation, "so-called pundits" will be sent to newly established institutions that would benefit.

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