Sri Vijaya Puram, Feb 9: The meeting of Students Federation of India (SFI) has urged upon the Government of India and A & N Administration to re-consider the decision to disaffiliate the colleges in Andaman & Nicobar Islands from the Pondicherry University in the interests of the students studying in those colleges which will save the higher education in the islands from the imminent collapse. A resolution to this effect was adopted in a meeting of the SFI held at Sri Vijaya Puram (Port Blair) today (09.02.2026).
The SFI observed with grave concern and anguish that the authorities in the Andaman & Nicobar Administration and Government of India have continuously neglected/rejected the demands of SFI in particular and students of higher educational institutions in general for the continued affiliation of all the seven Colleges of Andaman & Nicobar Islands with the Pondicherry University.
Moving the Resolution, Abdul Warish, Convener, SFI A & N State Organising Committee said that the affiliation of colleges in Andaman & Nicobar Islands was a settled matter with the establishment of Pondicherry University by an Act of Parliament in 1985 and the colleges affiliating with the University from the academic session 1988-89. The SFI meeting noted that the Pondicherry University, which is a Central University, continues to one of the outstanding Universities in the country and the Certificates issued by the said University had an overwhelming acceptance everywhere.
The SFI meeting noted that after the establishment of the Deemed University, the Government of India vide notification No. 9-1/2023-U.3(A) dated March 8, 2024 had affiliated all the seven existing colleges with the newly established Deemed University (Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose Institute of Higher Learning). The meeting noted that the Govt. of India has unilaterally decided to disaffiliate the existing colleges from the Pondicherry University and affiliate it with the Deemed University. The meeting noted with grave concern that the entire examination related matters and other issues of thousands of students including the medical students studying in the seven colleges of these islands have been assigned to the newly established Deemed University even though the Deemed University has not been equipped with any infrastructure, academicians, etc. The Deemed University has been formed under a Society registered under the Societies Registration Act, 1960 and it has no legal back up like State/Central Universities on the mainland.
The meeting of the Students Federation of India noted with concern that the Deemed University is functioning from a one-room office in the JNRM complex, managed by Shri Utpal Sharma, former Principal, DBRAIT who has been appointed as OSD in the Deemed University. Affiliating the 7 existing Colleges with such a newly established Deemed University will adversely affect the quality of higher education in the islands. The meeting notes that the fees of students in the Colleges under the Deemed University will increase gradually. Students belonging to poor families, especially those in the rural areas, will be put to hardship as they may not be able to pay the higher fees, thereby restricting the higher education for affluent sections in the islands. The meeting further noted that the quality of higher education will be adversely affected by limited resources and experts in the newly established Deemed University.
The meeting of SFI noted that instead of improving the existing higher educational institutions, the Central Government and A & N Administration have chosen to disaffiliate the colleges from the Pondicherry University. In all the Colleges, the posts of Principals are lying vacant and only temporarily posted teachers are managing the affairs. Many of the regular posts of teachers in the colleges are lying vacant while the entire teaching work in most of the colleges are managed with the Guest Faculty, adhoc and contract teachers.
The meeting decided to resort to agitation on this issue.