Srinagar, May 5: Kashmir University is presently waiting for the new Vice-Chancellor to take the control of the institution where alleged academic waywardness and administrative indiscipline have become the order of the day, even as senior teachers in the university have appealed to LG to make the final selection without any delay.
Notably, the Search Committee constituted by Raj Bhawan in December last year to find the new VC for the Kashmir University has already submitted a panel of three names to the Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha on April 23 for choosing the final candidate.
Sources told KNT that these three candidates are Prof. Mujeebur Rahman Khan, Dr. Seemi Farhat Basir and Prof Farooq Masoodi.
The panel is submitted as per the provisions of the Jammu and Kashmir Universities Act 1969, which makes the LG as the appointing authority for the VC in his capacity of being the Chancellor of all State Universities in the UT.
A group of KU teachers told news agency Kashmir News Trust on Friday that the Honourable Chancellor should make the final selection expeditiously so that the prevailing academic uncertainty and administrative indiscipline in the university are not allowed to worsen any further.
“We are grateful to the Search Committee as well as the Honourable LG for expediting the Search Committee process. We request the Honourable LG to make the final selection without any delay,” the teachers who wished to remain anonymous said.
They said that some vested interests and unscrupulous elements in the present university administration are allegedly spreading false information regarding the panel submitted by the Search Committee to create confusion among the university teachers and employees.
“There is complete academic waywardness in the KU at present. The caretaker Vice-Chancellor has mostly remained out of station for the last two months while other administrative officers have shunned their responsibilities. We, therefore, appeal to Honourable LG to make the final selection so that new VC takes over immediately and restores discipline in the university,” the senior teachers said.
They alleged that some university administrators are also attempting to falsely tarnish the image of the Search Committee after being rejected over ineligibility and allegations of misconduct in the VC appointment process.
The 3-year term of caretaker VC Prof Talat Ahmad ended in August last year following which the Chancellor constituted the Search Committee headed by Dr Pankaj Mittal, Secretary-General, Association of Indian Universities to find the new VC. Prof Muhammad Miyan, former VC MANU Hyderabad and Dr Najma Akthar, VC Jamia Millia Islamia were its two members. Moreover, the three-year term of KU Registrar Dr Nisar Ahmad also ended in January this year.
Following allegations of malfunctioning and maladministration under the present university dispensation, its teachers have already urged the LG that the new Vice-Chancellor must provide “neat and clean administration” so that the lost academic glory of the Kashmir University is restored in the eyes of the public.
Pertinent to mention here that LG Manoj Sinha recently started that new VCs in J&K Universities are “appointed on the basis of academic and research credentials, the results of which will be visible in coming days.”
Under the present LG administration, Prof Umesh Rai was appointed as VC Jammu University, Prof Shakil Romshoo has been appointed as VC Islamic University, Prof Akbar Masood was appointed as VC Baba Ghulam Shah Badshah University Rajouri and Prof Nazir Ahmad was appointed as VC SKUAST Kashmir. Also, Prof Bechann Lal and Prof Qayoom Hussain were appointed as VCs of Cluster University Jammu and Cluster University Srinagar respectively. (KNT)
