RAJYA SABHA
UNSTARRED QUESTION NO-73
ANSWERED ON- 20/07/2023
ISSUES IN SOUTH ASIAN UNIVERSITY
73. SHRI ELAMARAM KAREEM
Will the Minister of EXTERNAL AFFAIRS be please to state :-
(a) whether Government is aware of the protest of students and faculties in South AsianUniversity (SAU);
(b) the number of students and faculties who have been suspended from SAU recently andthe reasons for such decision;
(c) whether Government intervened in this issue at any point to address the concerns raisedby the students; and
(d) the manner in which Government is planning to avoid such issues in the future?
ANSWER
THE MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF EXTERNAL AFFAIRS
(DR. RAJKUMAR RANJAN SINGH)
(a) The South Asian University (SAU) is a self governing, autonomous international bodyjointly managed and financed by the 8 SAARC member states. It is hosted by India under theSouth Asian University Act 2008 by Parliament. Under the SAU Act, the University has fulllegal personality including provision to make rules and regulations for the operation of theUniversity.
The University authorities have been keeping the Ministry informally informed regarding theissues that have come up between the management and the students and faculty members dueto their involvement in acts of indiscipline and violation of Code of Conduct.
(b) As informed by SAU, disciplinary action was taken against five students. The Universityauthorities have informed us that due process as prescribed in the SAU Rules and Regulationswas followed including constitution of a High-Powered Committee to consider the matter ofstudents’ indiscipline, including manhandling of the Acting President in October - November2022.
Four faculty members were suspended for their violation of the Code of Conduct as per SAURegulations for instigating the students. The University has also conveyed that due process as prescribed in the SAU Rules and Regulations was followed including constitution of a FactFinding Committee, which recommended the action.
(c) Even though India hosts the University, legally South Asian University is an internationalorganization that is autonomous, jointly managed by the eight SAARC member statesthrough its own independent institutional architecture. Thus India does not exercise any directcontrol over the day to day functioning of the University. The SAU Governing Board (GB),comprising two nominees from each SAARC member state and the University’s Presidentserves as the highest policy and decision making body of the University. The Indian BoardMembers have to therefore, work with the other 15 Board members to manage the affairs ofthe University. It is well known that due to hurdles created by one SAARC member state allSAARC meetings, including the SAU Governing Board Meeting have not been held in recentyears. This has inevitably impacted the proper functioning of the University.
(d) India remains committed in promoting regional cooperation in the SAARC region, andworks with other like-minded SAARC countries to develop the South Asian University into aregional centre of excellence in higher learning for the benefit of the youth of South Asia.
*****