Kolkata’s Jadavpur University’s IoE Setback: Victim of Funding Cuts and Bureaucratic Hurdles

Jadavpur University students hold a protest rally on March 5 demanding the resignation of West Bengal Education Minister Bratya Basu.
| Photo Credit: Debasish Bhaduri/The Hindu

Even as Jadavpur University (JU) remains on edge following a violent confrontation between protesting students from Left unions and West Bengal’s Education Minister Bratya Basu on March 1, its exclusion from the list of institutions being considered for Institute of Eminence (IoE) status has further deepened its troubles. However, it is the reason cited for JU’s removal from the list by the Union Minister of State for Education, Sukanta Majumdar, that has baffled the university community and reignited long-standing allegations of bias against the institution.

While responding to a question in the Rajya Sabha on March 12 regarding the specific factors that led the University Grants Commission (UGC) and the Empowered Expert Committee (EEC) to recommend against granting IoE status to JU despite its earlier shortlisting, Majumdar stated: “The EEC considered the revised proposal of Jadavpur University and observed that there was a steep decline in the budget from the earlier projected amount of Rs.3,299 crore to Rs.605 crore. Such a steep decline in the budget was not conducive to realising the target set for the IoE institutions….”

What is most puzzling is that JU stakeholders maintain that the university had never requested Rs.3,299 crore in the first place. Partha Pratim Roy, a professor of physics at JU and a member of the Jadavpur University Teachers’ Association (JUTA), explained: “Under the IoE scheme, the maximum fund allocation per institute is Rs.1,000 crore over five years. Why would we propose a budget of Rs.3,299 crore? When we applied for IoE status, our initial budget was Rs.1,015 crore.”

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In 2019, JU was among the 20 universities (including 10 government institutions) recommended for IoE status. However, according to Roy, in 2021, the Centre introduced a clause requiring the West Bengal government to contribute 25 per cent of the total Rs.1,000 crore budget, jeopardising JU’s prospects. “The State government refused to contribute Rs.250 crore, so the university revised its fund proposal to Rs.605 crore and pledged to generate 25 per cent of the new budget internally,” Roy told Frontline.

JUTA, in a letter to Majumdar dated March 18, pointed out that the provision of project funding amounting to Rs.3,299 crore was never mentioned in UGC guidelines. The letter also refuted the Minister’s claim outside Parliament regarding the West Bengal government’s alleged non-compliance in providing the 25 per cent matching grant. “According to UGC guidelines, the IoE scheme provides Rs.1,000 crore over five years. Accordingly, JU submitted a project proposal of Rs.1,015 crore and was shortlisted by the EEC among the top eight institutions. The Rs.3,299 crore figure was never documented in UGC guidelines, and the matching grant requirement was introduced only after the selection of successful institutions under the IoE scheme. Given these facts, we request a thorough review of the funding considerations for different institutions under the IoE scheme since 2017,” the letter stated.

The letter further noted that despite JU’s stellar academic credentials, it has been repeatedly overlooked for IoE funding, while Jio Institute (a private university) was selected under the scheme despite lacking comparable credentials.

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“Over the past 120 years, JU has nurtured some of the country’s brightest minds from diverse socio-economic backgrounds, particularly in West Bengal. As an elected Member of Parliament and a professor at a state-aided university, we urge you to support the central funding needed to upgrade teaching and research infrastructure and sustain JU’s excellence at both national and international levels,” the letter to Sukanta Majumdar said.

Financial crisis

At the heart of JU’s struggles is an acute financial crisis that has persisted for the past eight years. The situation worsened after the NITI Aayog replaced the Planning Commission, and the UGC abruptly halted its annual grant of approximately Rs.4 crore. Meanwhile, the State government, responsible for staff salaries and infrastructure maintenance, has significantly reduced its funding. Roy pointed out that the State government’s financial support is insufficient even for basic infrastructure maintenance. “In 2024, JU’s basic maintenance cost was Rs.60 crore, but the State provided only Rs.25 crore. In 2023, the maintenance cost was Rs.55 crore, yet we received only around Rs.23 crore,” Roy said.

Pending RUSA funds

Further compounding the crisis is the delay in receiving funds from the Rashtriya Uchchatar Shiksha Abhiyan (RUSA). Nearly half of the Rs.100 crore RUSA fund allocated to JU has been pending for five years. In 2017, JU was one of 10 universities selected to receive Rs.100 crore over two years, with the Centre and State splitting the cost in a 60:40 ratio. Upon receiving the first instalment of Rs.41 crore, the university initiated around 250 projects involving approximately 450 researchers. However, with no sign of the second instalment, most projects have either been abandoned or indefinitely delayed.

“Securing IoE status was crucial, as the associated funding would have provided much-needed financial relief to JU. With that opportunity now lost and no signs of the second RUSA instalment arriving, it is evident that neither the State government nor the Centre is prioritising the well-being of Jadavpur University,” a senior JU faculty member told Frontline.