THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The Kerala University syndicate’s decision to appoint faculty members on contract basis for its four-year UG programme (FYUGP) has been caught in legal tangles over alleged non-adherence to UGC regulations.
The decision was taken despite Vice Chancellor Dr Mohanan Kunnummal warning the Left-dominated syndicate against going ahead with the contractual appointments when the matter is sub judice.
As per the UGC regulations, appointment of teaching faculty on contractual basis should follow conditions laid down for permanent appointments.
Accordingly, either the vice chancellor or a senior academic nominated by the VC should chair the interview panel. In this case of the contractual appointments in KU, the interview panel was chaired by pro-CPM syndicate member J S Shijukhan.
The decision had invited protests from a section of syndicate members who said the recruitment process was not in order. Even as a BJP-affiliated syndicate member approached the High Court against the ‘flawed’ recruitment process, the syndicate hurriedly took the decision to go ahead with the appointments. An official press release issued by the university late on Monday said the syndicate has approved the appointment of 12 teachers on contract basis in its undergraduate centre subject to the final verdict of the High Court in the case. While the pro-BJP syndicate members fiercely opposed the move, the lone Congress-affiliated syndicate member reportedly took a neutral stance.
During the syndicate meeting on Monday, the VC suggested that adjunct (retired) teachers could be appointed for the time being till the court decides on the validity of the contractual appointments. However, his suggestion was shot down by the pro-Left syndicate members who pointed out the ‘urgency’ in appointing the faculty members.
“Since the FYUGP offered by the university is in its second year, there is a need to recruit additional faculty members in diverse disciplines. However, the flouting of UGC regulations has brought the whole process under a cloud of suspicion,” said a syndicate member.