For the first time in 30 years of Left rule, the state government has relinquished its control over a university/institution, handing over the reins of Bengal Engineering and Science University (Besu) to the Centre.

From the academic session 2008-09, the oldest engineering college in the state will be upgraded to Indian Institute of Engineering Science and Technology (IIEST) — and conferred the status of Institute of National Importance — becoming a fully-funded central government institution.

With the shift in power, the West Bengal government will lose control — from day-to-day administration to admission of students — of the Shibpur campus.

The formalisation of the upgrade, a contentious issue over the past three years, comes weeks after the 150-year-old institution was closed sine die following violence on campus.

“We are very happy… Besu will now be part of an elite group of institutions and will excel in postgraduate studies and research,” said vice-chancellor N.R. Banerjea.

The state government was informed about the upgrade in a letter dated December 27 from Ravi Mathur, the joint secretary of the ministry of human resource development. It will be executed by amending the National Institute of Technology Act, 2007.

The shift of Besu’s control button from Calcutta to Delhi is significant given the ruling CPM’s obsession with control over educational institutions.

Though chief minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee has always advocated creating centres of excellence in the state to facilitate Bengal’s industrial resurgence, his party — following the Promod Dasgupta legacy, inherited by Anil Biswas — has preferred total control of education.

On autonomy to Presidency College, the party had tied the chief minister’s hands. Besu’s entry into the elite league of institutes should make Bhattacharjee happy.

Not just resource endowment and academic standard, the upgrade of Besu will bring in changes in the admission procedure and administrative structure.

Admissions to the institute will be through the All India Engineering Entrance Examination, instead of the state joint entrance examination.

As is the case with the National institutes of technology (NITs), 50 per cent of the seats will be reserved for students from Bengal.

While the state will lose control over the institute, it will have a nominee on the board.

If it happens to Besu today, can’t it happen to Jadavpur or some other universities/institutes tomorrow?

Bhattacharjee would surely like this to happen, as the state-run, party-controlled colleges and universities of Bengal have failed to achieve the desired results.

Jadavpur University is also keen on upgrade, but the model is yet to be firmed up.

“Our university cannot come under the National Institute of Technology Act because it already enjoys a higher status — an autonomous, full-fledged university having three faculties. We have already sent our upgrade proposals to the ministry of human resource development, which is considering them,” said Parthapratim Biswas, a member of the university’s executive council.