Ministry asks JNU V-C why she skipped meet, views it ‘seriously'

Indian Express

26-07-2025

IN AN unusual move, the Ministry of Education (MoE) has sought a formal explanation from Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) Vice-Chancellor Santishree Dhulipudi Pandit for skipping a recent conference of Central Universities' Vice-Chancellors organised by the Centre in Gujarat, saying her absence was being 'viewed seriously', The Indian Express has learnt.
In a letter sent to Pandit this week, a senior official of the Department of Higher Education noted that she had skipped both days of the conference 'without formal approval', despite being 'formally invited well in advance'. Saying that her absence was being 'viewed seriously', the letter said her 'valuable contributions to deliberations on various themes were missed.'
The Vice-Chancellors' Conference was held in Kevadia, Gujarat, on July 10-11. It was attended by Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan, Vice-Chancellors of Central Universities, officials from the Ministry of Education, the University Grants Commission, and other academicians.
JNU hosted its own three-day conference on Indian Knowledge Systems (IKS) from July 10 to 12 — inaugurated by former Vice-President Jagdeep Dhankhar. However, the letter noted that the scheduling overlap had been taken into account and the ministry expected Pandit to attend at least on the second day.
'While acknowledging that this conference coincided with the conference on IKS at JNU, it was expected that you would join the Vice-Chancellors' Conference on the second day (11th July 2025), following the inaugural event at your university,' the letter said, and asked Pandit to apprise the ministry of the reasons for her absence.
The Indian Express did not receive any response to calls, messages and emails sent to the V-C and the media relations officer. Higher Education Secretary Vineet Joshi declined to comment on the matter. However, a senior official in the ministry confirmed that the JNU V-C was the only institutional head to whom such a communication was sent, as she was the only one absent from the conference.
'She should have gone for both things — both were important. People could have benefitted from her presence at the Vice-Chancellors' conference,' the official said.
'When people get together, it's an opportunity to exchange ideas. This sort of communication is just to remind somebody that if one is in some position, it is not just about doing well in that position. So much money was being spent, so many people were coming for this conference, and time was spent learning from each other… this was a reminder that this is important,' the official said.
According to the official, such communications have been sent in the past to absentees to 'sensitise' them.
The two-day conference focused on Central Universities as 'drivers of educational transformation' and their contribution to Viksit Bharat @2047, as well as on 'critical themes in higher education policy, institutional governance, research and innovation, and national development priorities,' according to a Press Information Bureau statement.
The discussions at the conference aimed to assess 'how the Central Universities are aligned with the policy's next-phase goals', 'foster dialogue among academic leaders on institutional innovations, enabling environments and shared challenges,' and 'prepare institutions for upcoming policy milestones, regulatory transitions, and the global academic landscape of 2047.'