In a meeting with the representatives of University Grants Commission (UGC), the Ministry of Education yesterday directed the UGC to amend the draft of 'umbrella act' by July 31, ministry sources said.

After receiving the draft amendment of the umbrella act, the ministry will arrange meetings with vice chancellors of public universities and academicians to discuss the umbrella act.

Teachers of public universities protested the move to approve the draft of 'umbrella act' for all public universities without consulting the academics and others concerned while academicians said the new act will destroy the autonomous character of the public universities.

Apparently responding to the strong objections, education ministry yesterday called an emergency meeting at the secretariat. Education Adviser Ayub Quadri presided over the meeting where Education Secretary M Mamtazul Islam, UGC Chairman Prof Nazrul Islam and UGC Secretary Mohammed Mufakker were present.

"We have discussed many key issues of the draft umbrella act which the UGC submitted to the ministry in the last week of June. We have decided that some points of the draft would be changed and the UGC will finalise the amendment of the draft by July 31," UGC Chairman Prof Nazrul Islam told The Daily Star after the meeting.

The university syndicate members and deans will be appointed on the basis of seniority, he added.