Recruitment mode of Asst Prof in Manipur

Khelsoril Wanbe *

Manipur Public Service Commission (MPSC) Building in Imphal in March 2013 :: Pix - Deepak Oinam

It was a big relief for both the successful and unsuccessful candidates of Assistant Professor Recruitment 2014-17 that the results of the recruitment have been finally declared after a long delay. However, the sad thing about the recruitment has been that many senior candidates who had already done their PhDs, who have published a number of research articles, who have presented papers at seminars, who have had many years of teaching experience and who did excellently well in the interview have been left out owing to the fact that the MPSC gave excessive importance to the marks and grades secured in the two degrees namely, graduation and post-graduation/ masters only.

It is worth taking note that out of a total of 100 points, 50 were exclusively set aside for the marks secured in the two degrees; no consideration was given to the academically very important achievements that have been just mentioned above. It is disheartening for some senior candidates who have been working hard waiting for years for the recruitment to take place but finally they have woken up to a nightmare.

Through this esteemed Sangai Express, I have been reiterating that giving excessive importance to only the BA/BSc + MA/MSc marks by totally ignoring other academic activities of the candidates would be very unjust and unfair but the suggestion had been flatly ignored.

I would like to re-emphasize here that MPhil and PhD are two degrees that are higher than masters and those who have earn these degrees deserve to be given extra points or weight. Premier universities of India like Delhi University (DU) under which there are many colleges, award points for different academic achievements of the candidates, not only the marks they secured in the UG and PG.

Out of a total of 100 points, a maximum of 55 points are set aside for academic performance which includes a maximum of 17 points for PhD/MPhil, a maximum of 12 points for UG, a maximum of 15 points for PG, a maximum of 11 points for NET/JRF. The remaining 45 points out of 100 are allotted for Experience (20 maximum) and Publication (25 maximum).

It is to be noted that recruitment of college teachers aka Assistant Professors are conducted by Delhi University itself, which actually is the right and better way. The recruitments are not entrusted with any recruiting agencies that may not have adequate knowledge of the modus operandi of the academic world.

Interview/personality test, of course, can be the ultimate deciding factor of the selection for which separate points are awarded according to the performance of the candidate. The allotment of a maximum of 20% of the total points for graduation and 30% for Masters and not awarding any point for PhD/MPhil and NET/JRF is absolutely unfair and unjust.

It needs to be properly recognised that MPhil/PhD are degrees that take two to five extra years after post-graduation or masters. That is the very reason why Delhi University and others award a handsome 17 points out of 100 for PhD and a little less point for MPhil and NET/JRF too are awarded 7/10 points.

It is sad that in the last MPSC AP recruitment, no points were awarded for the very important academic achievements. Here, it needs to be noted that some candidates have both passed NET and got the PhD through sheer hard work. It's also shocking and grossly unfair how some candidates who haven't fulfilled the minimum qualifying degree even three years after the closing date of application submission have been selected with high ranks apparently simply by virtue of them having done well in their graduation and masters.

There is no denying the fact that awarding of marks for graduation and post graduation differs from one period of time to another and from one university to another even at the same given period of time. I wouldn't say no points should be awarded for graduation and post-graduation but there is the need for formulating a marking scheme that will give balanced importance to the essential areas and aspects of academic activities.

It also needs to be noted that owing to many years break in recruitment in Manipur, the number of qualified candidates have been surging over the years and another factor has been the discontinuance/exclusion of descriptive paper in NET/JRF exam.

It may not be an exaggeration to say that before June, 2012, NET/JRF used to be hard nut to crack but ever since the introduction of purely objective type NET exam, the exam has been cracked like egg shells by thousands upon thousands of youth. Ever since June, 2012, the floodgate of NET holders has been opened and the academic world has been inundated by teeming thousands of qualified youth.

Another unfortunate case has been the failure on the part of the selection board to count the marks scored in the written test. Many who secured high marks in the written test have been left out as no point was awarded for the written test. The written test should actually have the genuine reflection of the candidates' current knowledge of the concerned subject.

The recruitment has been farcical as it has made the impossible possible and the possible impossible. The interview also has been rendered meaningless as those who did much better in the interviews have been brushed aside. It is very obvious that only those who scored high marks in graduation and post-graduation have been taken for granted as the most brilliant candidates despite their abysmal performance in the written test and interviews.

If the MPSC isn't willing to make essential improvements to its selection scheme of Assistant Professor Recruitment, it is better not to apply to any advertisement for new recruitment in the future as it will prove mere waste of time.