- Bihar governor Rajendra V Arlekar said he could appoint vice-chancellors of state universities on his own but wanted to do it in consultation with the CM
Bihar’s state universities will be audited by an audit team of Raj Bhawan, Bihar governor Rajendra Vishwanath Arlekar has said, adding that he has already reached out to the audit body CAG for assistance in this regard. In an interview on the steps that his office is taking to improve the standard of education at Bihar universities, the governor, who is also the ex-officio chancellor of the state universities, said that the process of appointment of vice-chancellors (V-Cs) had been completed for six of the seven universities that have vacancies. It will take longer to fill other crucial vacancies such as registrars and exam controllers. “Good people are hard to find,” he said. Edited excerpts:
The process has been completed for six universities and the names of shortlisted candidates have been submitted to me in a sealed envelope by the search committee comprising eminent names. I have not seen it. Now I am waiting for consultation with the chief minister as per the practice. In light of the recent Supreme Court order, I can do it on my own but I want to do it only after consultation with CM. The CM’s secretariat wanted the shortlisted names to be sent. I did that also. The moment the consultation is completed, the appointments will be made. Delay at one level leads to overall delay. A system works when all the wings of the system complement each other.
Which university is facing delay?
At Patna University, the process got delayed as the government nominee happened to be a pension holder from the same university. As per the laid down UGC norms, any member of the search committee should not in any way be related to the university for which the appointment has to be made. A member objected to the name sent. We sought a different name. There was some delay due to it. Finally, we put a different member and notified the panel. But the government has now sent the name of its nominee. The process will be completed for Patna University also.
Apart from V-C and Pro V-C, there are vacancies in universities for full-time registrars, exam controllers, financial advisors and finance officers. Your comment.
I am looking for people with impeccable records and integrity, as these are key positions. Good people are hard to find. I have sought panels of names from universities and many a time, I find problems with them. Some people have a tainted record. Where I have been able to appoint, there are complaints from V-Cs. Some V-Cs approached me to remove registrars in their universities just because there was a compatibility issue. I don’t want confrontation but the registrars are not supposed to necessarily kowtow the vice-chancellor’s line. They have to do what is right. I had to tell a V-C that I would rather remove him, not the registrar, as there was nothing wrong that the latter was doing.
You did write about the removal of the registrar of Aryabhatt Knowledge University (AKU). What happened?
Yes, I have sent letters to the acting V-C again. The problem with AKU is that it has remained without a regular VC for far too long. But now, the process for AKU has also been completed. I know the issues confronting AKU and it will be streamlined. I am looking for a good registrar for AKU also.
You say good people are hard to find, but the promotion backlog is getting longer at all universities. This hurts the individuals as well as the system.
I know. I am now contemplating issuing guidelines for uniformity in promotion without any favouritism. At present, promotions are granted based on individual likes and dislikes. Now I want promotions to teachers of the same batch should be granted together, with no difference in the date of notification to avoid any seniority issues later on. It should happen uniformly. There should not be any room for individual preferences and the calendar for promotion should also be followed.
Bihar universities are often in the news for financial irregularities. How do you propose to fix the problems?
The audit of all universities will be done by the audit team of the Raj Bhavan. I am in touch with auditors and financial experts. I have also approached the office of Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) and they have agreed to depute their people. I will ensure that the audited reports of all universities are put on the website. There is also a need to regulate self-financing courses. If the students pay for them, they must get due benefits. There are laid down norms and procedures. All that is required is that everyone works according to these for the common good. The system is more important than individuals.
You have been emphasising the new education policy but at universities, even ensuring that academic sessions stick to the calendar proves to be difficult. There is also a shortage of faculty.
Initially, I found reluctance on the part of the vice-chancellors, principals and others, as they were satisfied with the status quo. But I kept harping on it for the larger good of students here and the approach has slowly changed. I know two to three universities are grappling with very late sessions, but they are at least making efforts. Speed of thinking and approach cannot change overnight. But they have realised they have to adopt the necessary change. I sit with them to tell them that they cannot afford to get isolated. I want proactive people to come forward. As far as the shortage of teachers is concerned, I always prefer a decentralised system at the level of universities for filling vacancies. The centralised system has also not proved effective, as it affects all universities due to delay. Teachers are important and universities cannot have endless ad hoc measures
