Aspiring global standards appointments on caste equations?

Hyderabad: Questions of 'in-breeding' and 'caste equations' are on the scanner at a time when the State government mulling to fast-track the appointment of vice-chancellors to 10 State universities.

According to sources in the State Higher Education Department (SHED), about 750 applications have been received from aspiring academicians against the vacancies of vice-chancellor.

The tenure of the vice-chancellor of the State universities fell vacant on May 21. Though the search committees were formed, the intervening Lok Sabha elections became a spoilsport in appointing regular VCs. In turn, the State government appointed IAS officers as the in-charge VCs.

The process of VC appointment has picked up momentum following the recent announcement of Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy, who also holds the Education Ministry portfolio. The CM announced that the regular VCs would be appointed soon. The search committee meetings are expected to finalise the names in a couple of days to be sent for the approval of the State Governor and Chancellor of the universities.

However, the talking doing rounds in academic circles is that the new VCs would be appointed based on the "Caste equations" as claimed in the appointment of the VCs during the tenure of the earlier government.

Speaking to The Hans India, a senior official from Professor Jayashankar Telangana State Agriculture University (PJTSAU) pointed out that, “It needs a visionary leadership. To bring higher education back onto tracks considering the higher education sector had gone for a toss for the past two decades. Improving standards in education, research and development, and innovation can not expected from the educational leadership appointed only based on 'Caste equations."

For example, some VCs of the Acharya NG Ranga Agriculture University, Hyderabad in United Andhra Pradesh, (now, the PJTSAU) said, "Efforts were made to bring and appoint eligible candidates from the States of Punjab and Haryana to impart certain specialisation for which candidates are not available in the United AP. However, most of those appointed have retired. However, the university accrued dividends from such initiatives.” Contrary to this, "Hardly, any Vice-Chancellor has such freedom post-formation of Telangana to rope in the human capital needed to encourage inter-disciplinary studies or introduce new areas of teaching and research," he added.

For example, a student studied undergraduate and postgraduate courses and earned a doctoral degree from a university. If the same person is appointed as a faculty member in the same university is causing 'In-breeding' says the University Grants Commission (UGC). Also, it highlighted the adverse effects of 'in-breeding on the education standards in a university. Contrary to this, Central universities and other Higher Educational Institutions (HEIs), like IITs, NITs, and National Law Universities, get their faculty from different States with different fields of specialization, to ensure that the teaching and research are up-to-date and the students passing out are competitive at the national and international levels. Besides, such HEIs also get their educational leaders like Vice-Chancellors, pro-vice-chancellors, and deans from different HEIs from different parts of the country. This allows them not to suffer from the adverse effects of in-breeding- both at the education leadership positions and the faculty positions.