The absence of full-term vice-chancellors is hurting state-aided universities because campuses do not have persons at the helm of affairs who can provide academic leadership, said a platform of university teachers’ associations that held a protest rally in Salt Lake on Tuesday.
None of the 31 state-aided universities in Bengal has a full-term VC.
Some are being helmed by officiating VCs who have been allegedly unilaterally appointed by the governor, who is the chancellor of state universities.
The members of “Save University, Save Education” alleged the situation has worsened as the chancellor “is appointing persons who have no connection with the university system” as officiating VCs, “taking advantage of the fact that the process of appointing a full-term VC now faces a legal hurdle”.
The legal hurdle has arisen because a case has been filed in Calcutta High Court against an ordinance that was promulgated to constitute a search committee for the appointment of a permanent VC, on the ground that it has a nominee of the chief minister. This, according to the petitioner, is illegal.
The teachers said at a time when universities are struggling with their administration how can they effectively start the four-year undergraduate programmes. They cited lack of adequate teachers and suitable infrastructure as hurdles.
The platform which includes the teachers’ association of 14 universities, said in a statement: “The interim VCs who were appointed by the state government are being rejected by the court because of illegalities. The chancellor is appointing officiating vice-chancellors in contravention of UGC rules....”
“The search committee...has dropped the university’s nominee and has included a representative of the chief minister. Amid these complexities, academic and administrative activities have stalled. There is an immediate need to appoint a full-term VC and the full-term deans.”
Keshab Bhattacharya, the secretary of the West Bengal Colleges and University Teachers’ Association who spoke at the rally, said the officiating VCs cannot assert their authority because they are working in caretaker capacities.
Calls, a text message and email from this newspaper to the chancellor failed to elicit any response.