A platform of university teachers and former vice-chancellors has accused governor C.V. Ananda Bose of destabilising campuses by handpicking officiating vice-chancellors who are unable to handle academic institutions because of their unfamiliarity with the university system.
The platform — Educationists’ Forum — cited the example of Subhro Kamal Mukherjee, officiating VC of Rabindra Bharati University, who has been working from home since Monday on the grounds that employees have been entering his office and allegedly abusing him while placing their demands.
Mukherjee, a former Chief Justice of Karnataka High Court, has directed the registrar to secure the university’s administrative block by installing iron grille and recruiting armed guards.
The academics said this happens when the governor, who is chancellor of state-aided universities, entrusts someone with performing the duties of a VC without holding any consultation with the education department.
According to them, the chancellor is not taking any steps for the appointment of full-term VCs through search committees. They also highlighted that the governor was violating the norm that only those with 10 years’ experience as professor could be appointed as VC.
They accused the chancellor of destabilising the campuses through erratic appointments of stop-gap VCs, disregarding what the UGC has mandated.
“Rabindra Bharati University is paying the price for such an erratic appointment, which is illegal in nature. The chancellor has appointed a person who has no idea about the university system. Therefore, he is struggling. Even for the appointment of an officiating VC in a state-aided university, the chancellor must consult the education department,” Omprakash Mishra, a member of Educationists’ Forum and former interim VC of North Bengal University, said at a news conference on Thursday.
A professor of Jadavpur University said the chancellor had “aggravated the situation”, instead of correcting it.
“The education department had earlier appointed VCs in violation of UGC rules. The court struck down the appointment of 27 VCs. The government brought a bill including a UGC nominee in the search committee and got it passed by the Assembly. But the chancellor is not signing the bill and is going ahead with his erratic appointments,” the professor said. “We are extremely disappointed with his role.”
A former VC who is not part of the platform said chancellor Bose had in April started seeking information about five senior-most professors of each state-aided university so there would be a pool from which he could appoint interim VCs.
“But from July, he started appointing people of hic choice. Now we are seeing the outcome of appointing such persons at the top. Instead of correcting the system, he aggravated the situation,” he said.
Asked about the chaos at RBU, education minister Bratya Basu said on Thursday: “A person who is unwarranted and uninvited is sitting as VC. But still, he is our guest. We cannot insult him. The employees... should not create any trouble.”
Calls, text messages and emails from this newspaper to chancellor Bose went unanswered.
The Assembly had in July passed a bill on the search and selection for the appointment of VCs.
“Ordinance in this respect had been signed by the governor. Yet when the ordinance has been passed as a bill by the Legislative Assembly, the same has not been signed by the Governor!” says a statement issued by Educationists’ Forum.
Chancellor as VC
A press release from Raj Bhavan late on Thursday said the chancellor had decided to discharge the duties of VC in some state-aided universities where the post is vacant and the students are facing difficulties in obtaining certificates and other documents.
The release also said Raj Kumar Kothari has been appointed as officiating VC of West Bengal State University, Barasat, which has been without a VC for three months.