No V-C, vital appointments on hold at AUBy Ashmita Gupta  |  Express News Service  |   Published: 13th February 2017 01:48 AM  |  

CHENNAI: With the Vice-Chancellor’s post lying vacant in Anna University, many important appointments including heads of departments, directors of centres, dean of colleges have been put on hold and consequently the functioning of various departments and centres of the university  has been affected.
Recently, the Higher Education Department secretary too, who is one of the three members of convener committee, has gone on leave, making the situation only worse. 

A professor of the university, requesting anonymity, said all important appointments like that of directors of centres, deputy directors, additional directors, additional controllers, heads of departments have been put on hold. More than 10 such appointments should have been normally made by now. With the absence of a decision-maker, the appointments are only being delayed. 

Many post-holders have completed more than three years. “Usually the tenure of these posts ends after three years, after which the Vice Chancellor appoints a new person as per the seniority principle. With VC’s absence no new appointments have been made,” he said. 

Further, he said that as V-C is not there, the convener committee is not willing to take any such policy decisions. Currently with Higher Education Secretary on leave, the convener committee was not able to function properly.

“The Director of Technical Education who is also a member of the committee is out of station and a new person has been appointed. The third member who is a senior professor is also new in the committee. They can’t take any crucial decisions like that of appointments,”he said. 

 The heads of department appointments should be based on rotation, said S Chandramohan, secretary of AU Teacher’s Association.”Even in the presence of V-C, the principle of seniority was violated. One of the professors is holding the post of HOD in one department for the past nine years,” he said.

Now with V-C’s absence several others are continuing holding their post despite completing three years. The tenure of the head of the department of Electronic and Electrical Engineering comes to end this March. Preparations for filling the post  has to be done from now itself but nothing has been done so far,he said.