Academics worried over failure to fill top positions in Bharathiar University
COIMBATORE, FEBRUARY 17, 2019 00:00 IST
Vice-Chancellor’s post lying vacant since February 2018
Vice-Chancellor, Registrar, Controller of Examination, Director, Department of Distance Education, Director, Academic Staff College, Public Relations Officer and Dean – are the top positions in Bharathiar University that are vacant or without persons occupying the post full time, and this has the academic community worried.
The Vice-Chancellor’s post has remained vacant ever since the inglorious exit of A. Ganapathi in February 2018 and the other positions are occupied by persons who hold those additional posts.
Running the university with people in-charge of important posts is a disease that has afflicted Bharathiar University, laments, N. Pasupathy, vice- president, Association of University Teachers. The powers of the people, who occupy the posts, are limited and for every important decision they will have to take on matters before them, the occupants of the post take up the issue with the superiors and this leads to inordinate delay.
What is worse now is that the nobody seems to know why the posts remain so and the university is not forthcoming, either. “The university called for applications to fill up the aforementioned posts except that of the Vice-Chancellor. But what happened to the applications – whether or not the university has conducted interviews and if it has, why has it not published the list of short listed candidates remains unclear,” says Mr. Pasupathy.
He also slams the State Government for the delaying in appointing a person to the committee to select the next Vice- Chancellor. “The Syndicate has elected its nominee and so has the Senate. Now it is for the Government to appoint its nominee and it has been delaying, which is condemnable.”
One of the recent issues that has cropped up because of the in-charge syndrome is the one concerning a Syndicate member who has crossed 62 years of age. Though the rules say that a person who has crossed 62 years of age cannot remain a self-financing college principal and therefore cannot be a member of the Syndicate, the university has allowed him to continue as a principal but not attend the Syndicate meeting, he adds.
A Syndicate member, on condition of anonymity, accuses the university of remaining opaque when asked about such issues. In response to a member’s question seeking details of those who has applied for the posts advertised for and the action taken on those applications, the university has not responded, he rues.
It is only the Bharathiar University that is facing such a situation, rues president of the association of self-financing arts, science and management colleges, Ajeet Kumar Lal Mohan. Failure to appoint persons in the next few weeks to occupy the posts full time will only lead to further delay as the university or Government cannot proceed if the Model Code of Conduct comes into effect.
Bharathiar University Registrar in-charge B. Vanitha says that different committees have to be constituted to select persons to the six posts and it is for the Vice-Chancellor committee and the Government to take a call on it.
A Vice-Chancellor committee member says that the ball is in the Government’s court and it has to act fast.
COIMBATORE, FEBRUARY 17, 2019 00:00 IST
Vice-Chancellor’s post lying vacant since February 2018
Vice-Chancellor, Registrar, Controller of Examination, Director, Department of Distance Education, Director, Academic Staff College, Public Relations Officer and Dean – are the top positions in Bharathiar University that are vacant or without persons occupying the post full time, and this has the academic community worried.
The Vice-Chancellor’s post has remained vacant ever since the inglorious exit of A. Ganapathi in February 2018 and the other positions are occupied by persons who hold those additional posts.
Running the university with people in-charge of important posts is a disease that has afflicted Bharathiar University, laments, N. Pasupathy, vice- president, Association of University Teachers. The powers of the people, who occupy the posts, are limited and for every important decision they will have to take on matters before them, the occupants of the post take up the issue with the superiors and this leads to inordinate delay.
What is worse now is that the nobody seems to know why the posts remain so and the university is not forthcoming, either. “The university called for applications to fill up the aforementioned posts except that of the Vice-Chancellor. But what happened to the applications – whether or not the university has conducted interviews and if it has, why has it not published the list of short listed candidates remains unclear,” says Mr. Pasupathy.
He also slams the State Government for the delaying in appointing a person to the committee to select the next Vice- Chancellor. “The Syndicate has elected its nominee and so has the Senate. Now it is for the Government to appoint its nominee and it has been delaying, which is condemnable.”
One of the recent issues that has cropped up because of the in-charge syndrome is the one concerning a Syndicate member who has crossed 62 years of age. Though the rules say that a person who has crossed 62 years of age cannot remain a self-financing college principal and therefore cannot be a member of the Syndicate, the university has allowed him to continue as a principal but not attend the Syndicate meeting, he adds.
A Syndicate member, on condition of anonymity, accuses the university of remaining opaque when asked about such issues. In response to a member’s question seeking details of those who has applied for the posts advertised for and the action taken on those applications, the university has not responded, he rues.
It is only the Bharathiar University that is facing such a situation, rues president of the association of self-financing arts, science and management colleges, Ajeet Kumar Lal Mohan. Failure to appoint persons in the next few weeks to occupy the posts full time will only lead to further delay as the university or Government cannot proceed if the Model Code of Conduct comes into effect.
Bharathiar University Registrar in-charge B. Vanitha says that different committees have to be constituted to select persons to the six posts and it is for the Vice-Chancellor committee and the Government to take a call on it.
A Vice-Chancellor committee member says that the ball is in the Government’s court and it has to act fast.
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