The All India Federation of University Teachers' Organisation (AIFUCTO) has opposed the grant of greater autonomy to a total of 52 universities by the University Grants Commission (UGC), claiming that it would make higher education "more expensive."
The federation has called for a protest march in Delhi on April 3 to demand the rollback of the UGC's decision.
Members of a number of teachers body, including the Federation of Central University Teachers (FEDCUTA) and the Delhi University Teachers Association (DUTA) will join the protest.
Left-backed students unions will also participate in the protest march.
"This move is not only unconstitutional but also an attempt by the government to shrug off all financial and moral responsibilities towards higher education through an attempt that blatantly tries to privatise eminent centres of higher learning in India and thus make education a corporate entity," AIFUCTO general secretary Arun Kumar told DH.
Education in India will become "more expensive" with the grant of greater financial and academic autonomy to country's higher education institutions, he added.
"UGC has taken the decision under direct pressure from the Human Resource Development (HRD) ministry. This move towards autonomy is well thought out and a conscious attempt of the central government to make education out of bounds for the common people by making it expensive," he charged.