The Himalayan Institute of Alternatives in Ladakh, founded by activist Sonam Wangchuk, is doing “exemplary” work, a parliamentary panel has said, recommending that the institution be granted recognition by the University Grants Commission, PTI reported on Sunday.
Wangchuk has been in jail since September 26 after he was arrested under the National Security Act, two days after four persons were killed in police firing during protests in Leh demanding statehood for Ladakh and its inclusion in the Sixth Schedule of the Constitution.
He was shifted to a jail in Jodhpur, Rajasthan.
The Union government has alleged that the violence was incited by Wangchuk’s “provocative statements”.
In a report tabled in Parliament last week, the Standing Committee on Education, Women, Youth and Sports expressed concern about the pending recognition for the Himalayan Institute of Alternatives by the University Grants Commission, which assesses and accredits higher educational institutions to determine their “quality status”.
The parliamentary panel is headed by Congress MP Digvijaya Singh.
“The [parliamentary] committee was concerned to learn that the UGC has not yet granted recognition to HIAL and that the matter has been pending for many years now,” PTI quoted the report as saying. “The committee recommends that the UGC should consider granting recognition to HIAL.”
The panel also recommended that the Ministry of Education study the institute’s model and consider how it could be replicated elsewhere through Centres of Innovation in Education or other interventions.
“The committee noted that the Himalayan Institute of Alternatives has had a significant impact on the local community and has gained international recognition for initiatives such as ice stupas and other community engagement activities,” PTI quoted the report as stating.
The panel also said Wangchuk’s institute reflects the goals of the 2020 National Education Policy, particularly its emphasis on experiential learning, community engagement and Indian Knowledge Systems.
Following the violence in Ladakh, the Union home ministry cancelled the Foreign Contribution Regulation Act licence of Wangchuk’s non-governmental organisation, the Students Educational and Cultural Movement of Ladakh, citing several violations.
In August, the Ladakh administration cancelled the allotment of a plot of land in Phyang village in Leh for the Himalayan Institute of Alternatives.
The land had been allotted in 2018, but the government said the lease lapsed in 2019 as its conditions were not met.
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