Governor’s Adamance Puts VC Appointments In Limbo

Thiruvananthapuram : Governor Arif Mohammed Khan’s one-sided stand has put the appointment of permanent vice-chancellors across universities in the limbo. With Calicut University VC Dr. MK Jayaraj’s retirement on Friday 12 universities in State  now remain without vice chancellors.

Kannur, Malayalam, Sanskrit, MG, KUFOS, Technical, CUSAT, Agricultural, Veterinary, Calicut and SN Open universities are placed under charge of temporary VCs. The Digital and Health are the only universities that presently have permanent VCs.

The Governor had constituted a search committee to plant Sangh Parivar loyalists as VCs in five universities. Then, as the State government  mulled taking legal action against the committee formed without a university representative, the Supreme Court verdict on VC appointment in West Bengal came as a jolter that stopped Raj Bhavan  from pursuing the course further.

The Supreme Court verdict ruled that committees formed to appoint VCs must take into account the respective nature of the universities. The University Amendment Bill passed by State Assembly too advocates the same. The Bill recommends to consider subject experts with excellent academic record for appointment as Chancellors and Vice Chancellors to various universities. The Bill further recommends constituting of 5-member search committee that conforms to UGC norms.

Criticism is rife that the Governor seeks to undermine the higher education sector. There is strong resentment to this from  university teaching, non-teaching and student organisations.