Debates have begun on a directive of the University Grants Commission in which colleges and universities are urged to adopt at least five to six Anganwadi centres to monitor child care and early education of children. Academics, union leaders, and activists have all criticised the directive, arguing that it sheds the responsibility of the government and shifts it on to the shoulders of higher educational institutions. The Congress-backed All India Trade Union Congress (AITUC) has strongly opposed the decision, saying the move is “deeply regressive and illustrative of a dangerous drift in the union government’s commitment to welfare.”

The secretary of AITUC, Amarjeet Kaur, has said, “This move of the union government is effectively abdicating its constitutional and moral responsibility. The welfare of children and mothers cannot be left to the vagaries of voluntary or institutional charity. The higher education centres are institutions that are neither equipped nor mandated to run such welfare programmes. Essential services like Anganwadis require stable public funding, a trained workforce, and systematic state monitoring.” Former Delhi University executive council member Rajesh Jha has also harped on the same tune, saying, “If the government is serious about Anganwadis, it must provide training to Anganwadi workers and improve facilities in these centres.”

While concerns like these do have merit, it must also be accepted that the UGC’s new directive can transform the insular universities and colleges into socially committed institutions contributing significantly to community development. History proves that worldwide universities and colleges have contributed significantly to the development of society. In India, the very ethos of our constitutional values enshrines the societal mission of universities: equity, justice, and the common good. The National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 also explicitly calls for “holistic and multidisciplinary education” that is “grounded in the Indian ethos and rooted in community engagement”.

Unfortunately, Indian universities and colleges by and large have failed to fulfil the expectations of society and the state in........

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