Caste a decisive factor in the selection of vice-chancellor?

By Ram M Sundaram  |  Express News Service  |   Published: 12th January 2017 02:08 AM

CHENNAI: From casteism to favouritism, the search committee formed a year ago to shortlist potential candidates as the next vice chancellor of the University of Madras seems to have a long list of out-of-syllabus issues to deal with before getting down to work.

As they dabble with these concerns, rarely meeting since it was constituted on January 8, 2015, the actual matters of importance including hundreds of PhD candidates awaiting degrees, new colleges waiting for affiliation, approval of as many as 75 new courses, and promotion for teaching faculty are hanging in balance, said sources.

Highly-placed sources told Express that all three committee members have backed candidates from their own community, which resulted in a logjam. “The convener of search committee recently wrote to the Governor, who is the Chancellor of the university, recommending the name of a senior academician without convening a meeting to get the consent of other members,” sources alleged.

The academician in question is believed to be backed by a senior IAS official, who was influential during the DMK regime between 2006 and 11, sources added.

Sources from the university syndicate said though the Chancellor has instructed to complete the process and come up with three names before the second week of January, the committee has never met since March.

However, rejecting these as baseless allegations, a committee member told Express that there was no difference of opinion between the members.

The other all-important committee, the convener committee, which is vested with the same powers as the vice chancellor, is also in shambles. Formed after the then vice chancellor retired on January 2, 2015, the convener committee has also not performed effectively.

“Affiliation of three new colleges and approval for 75 new courses in various government-aided and self-financing colleges for evening shift has been put on hold,” the syndicate member said, adding that the convener committee has not even constituted an affiliation committee towards this purpose.

Responding to this, a university official said that this panel can’t disburse funds in advance, consequently most development activities were moving at a snail’s phase.