Five more VC posts to fall vacant soon, focus shifts to search panels
Ram.Sundarm@timesgroup.com
Chennai 24.12.2018
The search for a new vicechancellor (V-C) will begin in five more universities in the state soon, in addition to Madurai Kamaraj University (MKU) and Bharathiar University, Coimbatore, which are already without heads.
Given the allegations levelled against the search panel formed to appoint a vice-chancellor for the Tamil University, Thanjavur, experts and teachers want the soon-to-be-constituted panels to be more vigilant while shortlisting names for the posts.
According to norms, search panels consist of three members — nominated by the government, university syndicate (executive body) and senate (governing body of academic professionals). The government is yet to appoint its nominee to the panel to shortlist names for the post of V-C of BU, which fell vacant after the arrest of Ganapathi in February 2018 in connection with a bribery case.
As far as MKU is concerned, 196 have applied for the V-C post, which has been vacant since June. P P Chellathurai's appointment as V-C was set aside by the Madurai Bench of the Madras high court on the grounds that the selection rules were violated.
The vacancies have had an adverse impact on the functioning of the universities, particularly affecting academics, according to educationists. In the absence of a V-C, a committee headed by the state higher education secretary is formed to run the university.
It is primarily the duty of the V-C to demand grants or additional funds required for settling bills or meeting unforeseen expenditures. Without a V-C, the committee is able to just ‘manage’ the administration.
Distance education centres usually help universities get revenue. But the recent UGC direction allowed only four universities to conduct select courses in distance education mode has not the others.
To make proper representations on such issues to the government, universities need V-Cs. Committees can run only day-to-day affairs, not take policy decisions or promote research.
Even to conduct a convocation ceremony to distribute degree certificates to students, a person of authority is required. There have been instances where such events were postponed because there was no V-C.As far as the five universities are concerned, the VCs are at the fag end of their three-year tenure. The search panels, instead of just looking at the applicants’ bio-data highlighting their academic performance, should check their administrative experience and integrity, in order to curb corruption, say educationists.CR Ravi, a retired principal, said that it was high time the selection and appointment of V-Cs was made more transparent. Universities should not be used as cash cows. It is to be remembered, he said, that a former Anna University V-V, a fomer Chairman of IIT Kanpur and a present panel member of the search committee in MKU had verified that ₹50 crores was paid to a Minister, he added.
Ram.Sundarm@timesgroup.com
Chennai 24.12.2018
The search for a new vicechancellor (V-C) will begin in five more universities in the state soon, in addition to Madurai Kamaraj University (MKU) and Bharathiar University, Coimbatore, which are already without heads.
Given the allegations levelled against the search panel formed to appoint a vice-chancellor for the Tamil University, Thanjavur, experts and teachers want the soon-to-be-constituted panels to be more vigilant while shortlisting names for the posts.
According to norms, search panels consist of three members — nominated by the government, university syndicate (executive body) and senate (governing body of academic professionals). The government is yet to appoint its nominee to the panel to shortlist names for the post of V-C of BU, which fell vacant after the arrest of Ganapathi in February 2018 in connection with a bribery case.
As far as MKU is concerned, 196 have applied for the V-C post, which has been vacant since June. P P Chellathurai's appointment as V-C was set aside by the Madurai Bench of the Madras high court on the grounds that the selection rules were violated.
The vacancies have had an adverse impact on the functioning of the universities, particularly affecting academics, according to educationists. In the absence of a V-C, a committee headed by the state higher education secretary is formed to run the university.
It is primarily the duty of the V-C to demand grants or additional funds required for settling bills or meeting unforeseen expenditures. Without a V-C, the committee is able to just ‘manage’ the administration.
Distance education centres usually help universities get revenue. But the recent UGC direction allowed only four universities to conduct select courses in distance education mode has not the others.
To make proper representations on such issues to the government, universities need V-Cs. Committees can run only day-to-day affairs, not take policy decisions or promote research.
Even to conduct a convocation ceremony to distribute degree certificates to students, a person of authority is required. There have been instances where such events were postponed because there was no V-C.As far as the five universities are concerned, the VCs are at the fag end of their three-year tenure. The search panels, instead of just looking at the applicants’ bio-data highlighting their academic performance, should check their administrative experience and integrity, in order to curb corruption, say educationists.CR Ravi, a retired principal, said that it was high time the selection and appointment of V-Cs was made more transparent. Universities should not be used as cash cows. It is to be remembered, he said, that a former Anna University V-V, a fomer Chairman of IIT Kanpur and a present panel member of the search committee in MKU had verified that ₹50 crores was paid to a Minister, he added.
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