THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The state government has plans to implement the State Subordinate Service Rules in lieu of the AICTE norms which were the criteria in the recruitment of principals, professors, directors and joint directors of technical education.
If the government implements this by flouting the rules with retrospective effect, several top officials of the Technical Education Department and many college principals will be reverted to college teachers.
Generally, in engineering colleges, posts of principal, associate professor, and professor are recruited from qualified teachers on AICTE norms. Similarly, posts of director and joint director in the technical education department are also filled as per the AICTE norms and the special rules of technical education. For this, a selection committee is formed and almost all the principals of engineering colleges, and senior officers of technical education dept are posted as per the said norms.
Now, the government is planning to recruit these posts by considering seniority as per 31 (A)(1) of the Kerala State Subordinate Service Rules. If this is implemented with retrospective effect from 2008, many senior officials at the department will be reverted as college teachers. And this will create chaos. Officers concerned consider the proposal to implement this with retrospective effect as highly objectionable.
Director of Technical Education K P Indira Devi told Express: “We have given a proposal to the government based on an order of the Supreme Court considering several petitions for and against promotions. It is now for the government to decide whether there will be changes.”