After 4 years, more misses than hits for VC SP Kane

Nagpur: Last month, Nagpur University (NU) vice-chancellor SP Kane completed four tumultuous years of his tenure with one of the oldest institutions of learning. Though it wasn’t a smooth ride for him as expected, he managed to take some bold decisions shrugging off stiff opposition from the statutory members, academicians and political bigwigs.
Along with pro-VC Pramod Yeole, he was successful in revamping the examination system, which always remained in one or the other controversy, particularly the inordinate delay in examination results and goof-ups in question papers.
On the flip side, he failed on many fronts as promised, including his dream project of 50:50 examination system to boost research activities and also securing placement for lakhs of its graduates. Even in National Institutional Ranking Framework (NIRF), he failed to improve NU’s rankings despite assuring to perform better last year. As usual, Kane refused to receive TOI’s calls for two days and also failed to reply to its SMS for his comments on his tenure.
According to academicians and VC’s subordinates, though Kane managed to take on strongmen like Dr Vedprakash Mishra, Baban Taywade and Sunil Mishra, he failed to act against many persons, including serious offenders. It included former assistant registrar Sandhya Chunodkar Handa, against whom he failed to lodge police complaint despite her clear involvement in revaluation/retotalling scam exposed by TOI.
Even while withdrawing diploma of Dr Mishra for alleged plagiarism case and prohibiting entry of Sunil Mishra inside NU premises, he stopped there only apprehending backlash from both opponents.
The VC became vindictive against his critics and media by prohibiting management council members from speaking to the journalists and also banning media men’s entry into senate, a practice which was followed over the years.
It was only after facing flak from all quarters, including chancellor Ch Vidyasagar Rao and education minister Vinod Tawde, that he retracted. He also barred senate members from asking queries in the House.
The VC messed up 106th convocation by first inviting IIM Ahmedabad director Errol D’Souza and then declining him. He allegedly showed undue favours to his “close subordinates” that included former Board of Examination and Evaluation (BOEE) director Neeraj Khaty by ignoring several violations committed by him and appointing him as a professor in LIT. Even his interview was scheduled first, despite the fact that there was clear “conflict of interests”.
He failed to lodge an FIR against rampaging ABVP activists, who attacked and damaged NU property worth lakhs, under pressure from Shikshan Manch, an affiliate of Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS).
Speaking to TOI in the past, he had said, he would now switched on the T-20 batting mode, as he had only one year to go and would reform the entire university system before his last day.
Academicians and NU officials hope that he would stick to his words and bring much needed reforms and also fill up several vacant positions in the university.