Aliah University has been transferred from the Minority Affairs and Madrasah Education Department to the Higher Education Department through a Governor-approved notification effective immediately.
By Qalam Times News Network
Kolkata | September 27, 2026
Aliah University has formally been brought under the administrative control of the West Bengal Higher Education Department, marking a significant change in the institutional oversight of the university. According to the notification reported on September 24, the Governor of West Bengal transferred the university’s administrative control and regulatory responsibility from the Minority Affairs and Madrasah Education (MAME) Department to the Higher Education Department (HED), with immediate effect.
The Aliah University transfer follows a decision taken by the state Cabinet on September 7, 2026, identified in the notification as Cabinet Decision No. 196, D-27. The matter was subsequently placed by the Minority Affairs and Madrasah Education Department on September 17. The notification was issued by P. B. Salim, IAS, Principal Secretary to the Government of West Bengal
From Minority Affairs and Madrasah Education to Higher Education
The move ends the university’s long-standing administrative association with the Minority Affairs and Madrasah Education Department. Aliah University began its academic functions in 2007 and had remained under the MAME Department since then. The latest order changes the department responsible for its administrative control and regulatory oversight.
The reported notification states that, in pursuance of the Cabinet decision of September 7, the Governor has approved the transfer of the administrative control and regulatory responsibility of Aliah University from MAME to HED with immediate effect. The wording is significant because the notification specifically concerns administrative and regulatory responsibility; it does not, by itself, state that the statutory Act establishing the university has been repealed.
The decision had already been announced publicly on September 7 by West Bengal Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari, who said that Aliah University would function under the Higher Education Department and linked the move to the government’s stated approach of having a common education framework across the state. The announcement was subsequently followed by the formal administrative transfer.
According to reports, the Chief Minister described the policy as “one state, one education” and said that students should be assessed on merit rather than religion or community. The government also indicated that Aliah University would come within the broader framework of the National Education Policy.
What the Gazette Notification Changes
The immediate consequence of the notification is that the Higher Education Department becomes the department responsible for the university’s administrative control and regulatory responsibility.
This distinction is important. The available notification does not simply say that Aliah University has ceased to exist as a university or that its statutory identity has been abolished. Instead, it specifically transfers the administrative and regulatory responsibilities from one state department to another.
The change therefore represents an alteration in the governmental department exercising administrative oversight rather than, on the evidence currently available, the creation of an entirely new university or the abolition of Aliah University’s statutory framework.
A University With a Distinctive Historical Background
Aliah University has a distinctive place in West Bengal’s educational history. Its academic functions began in 2007, and for nearly two decades its administrative connection with the Minority Affairs and Madrasah Education Department distinguished it from universities generally administered through the state’s Higher Education Department
The latest decision changes that administrative arrangement.
The West Bengal State Council of Higher Education’s current university listing also includes Aliah University among the institutions under the purview of the state’s higher education framework.
The state government’s stated rationale for the transfer centres on creating a common administrative and educational framework. In his September 7 announcement, Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari said there should not be separate education systems within the same state and emphasised merit as the basis for students’ educational progress.
The government has also connected the decision with its broader educational policy and the implementation of a common framework under the National Education Policy. PTI reported that the Chief Minister presented the move as part of a “one state, one education” approach.
Aliah University Teachers’ Association Raises Concerns
The decision has also generated concern among sections of the university community. The Aliah University Teachers Association (AUTA) had earlier appealed to the government to reconsider the proposal and retain the university under the Minority Affairs and Madrasah Education Department.
AUTA president Julfikar Ali said the association had raised concerns relating to sustained academic and institutional development, funding and the preservation of the university’s historical and institutional heritage.
These concerns provide another dimension to the administrative change. While the government has presented the transfer in terms of a common higher-education framework, representatives of the university community have emphasised the institution’s distinctive history and the importance of its existing administrative and financial arrangements.
What Happens Next?
The immediate administrative effect of the notification is clear: the Higher Education Department will exercise the transferred administrative control and regulatory responsibility over Aliah University.
The longer-term implications will depend on how the state government implements the decision in areas such as university administration, funding, academic governance and coordination with other higher-education institutions.
It is also important to distinguish between departmental control and changes to the university’s statutory framework. The notification reported so far deals specifically with administrative control and regulatory responsibility. Any separate legislative amendment to the legal framework governing Aliah University would need to be considered independently.
The development is therefore likely to remain significant for students, teachers, administrators and those following the future of minority and higher education institutions in West Bengal.
For Aliah University, the change marks the end of an administrative arrangement that had existed since the university began its academic operations in 2007. For the state government, it represents part of a broader effort to bring higher-education institutions under a common administrative framework.
