After VCs, Governor Arlekar issues order to take full control over teacher appointments in universities

Thiruvananthapuram: After ensuring that his writ ran large in the selection of vice chancellors, Kerala Governor Rajendra Arlekar has now turned his attention to the selection of university professors and other academic staff. 

The Governor, who is also the chancellor of universities, on Thursday issued an order revising the guidelines for the appointment of the chancellor's nominee in the selection process. The move is seen as an attempt to prevent hasty teacher appointments in universities by the LDF government before the Assembly elections are notified. 

Under the UGC Regulations, an academician nominated by the Chancellor should be part of the eight-member selection committee for the appointment of university professors, senior professors, assistant professors, and associate professors.

As it stands, the Chancellor's nominees are picked from a list prepared at least a decade ago, when P Sathasivam was Kerala Governor. The Lok Bhavan is also not consulted while choosing the Chancellor's nominee from the old list. As a result, appointments to top teaching posts in universities now take place without the knowledge of the Chancellor.

In his latest order to vice chancellors, the Chancellor said that the Lok Bhavan should be asked for the Chancellor's nominee before the appointment process begins. And while requesting for the Chancellor's nominee, the VCs have also been ordered to provide all necessary details regarding the appointments, including the posts that are to be filled and the qualifications required. 

The UGC guidelines say that the Chancellor should appoint an academician not below the rank of Professor. "The selection committee should be constituted and appointments done within two months of the Chancellor providing his nominee," the order said. "If the appointments are delayed, a new Chancellor's nominee should be asked for," the order said. 

The order also states that the existing list of Chancellor's nominees has been scrapped. The Lok Bhavan said that the new order had been issued after it was found that most of these nominees in the now scrapped Chancellor's list were not participating in the selection process.  

Besides the Chancellor's nominee, the eight-member selection committee will have five members nominated by the vice chancellor. Now that the Chancellor has control over vice chancellors in various universities in Kerala, the Chancellor has absolute control over the selection committees.