Bureaucratic hurdles have hit the efforts initiated by the Kerala State Higher Education Council (KSHEC) to address the problems with regard to equivalency of academic programmes.
The delay in simplifying the process has affected the job prospects of many aspirants.
They are not only compelled to seek equivalency certificates but also made to run from pillar to post to obtain government orders (GO) to satisfy the norms followed by the Kerala Public Service Commission (PSC).
The Special Rules of the PSC make it mandatory to obtain GOs from candidates who have qualified in the written test and interview for various posts, in order to treat their qualifications as equivalent to the requirement in the job notification. In effect, the norms treat equivalency certificates issued by universities as inadequate for inclusion in the rank list or awarding points due for additional qualifications.
‘Improper norms’
Terming the requirement ‘improper’, KSHEC vice chairman P.M. Rajan Gurukkal points out that universities or other legislatively-ordained academic institutions alone are legally competent to issue such documents. Government-issued orders are meant as an emergency measure only on the universities’ refusal. Besides, such GOs have no legal sanctity, he says.
He says the problem emanates from the Special Rules, which state a few qualifications in their specific nomenclature to be invariably accompanied by the phrase ‘or other equivalent’. This has constrained the PSC to demand equivalency, leading the youth to desperately seek the GO. “It is high time we scraped the ambiguous phrase from the Special Rules. If difference in the nomenclature of the degree is the problem, the best way forward is by omitting the name of the qualification and specifying only the field of knowledge with the level of the degree, be it graduate or postgraduate,” Prof. Gurukkal says.
Committee still on paper
Compounding the problem is the delay in the constitution of the State Level Academic Committee (SLAC) proposed by the KSHEC to address disputes relating to equivalence or recognition of academic programmes. While the KSHEC has proposed a 15-member committee, the government apparently has shot down the idea.
While the government had initially issued an order that formalised the proposal, it was withdrawn within a few days. Instead, the government has decided to alter the composition of the SLAC. Chaired by the KSHEC vice chairman, the panel will comprise the Vice Chancellors of the 13 State universities. The order is likely to be issued within a few days, official sources say.