Many administrative, non-teaching posts vacant

Coimbatore: The absence of a vice-chancellor has also delayed the process of filling-up of quite a few crucial administrative posts of Bharathiar University, which have been lying vacant for more than a year. Also, over the past one year, around 60 non-teaching staff members of the university have retired, truncating the already limited non-teaching workforce, said sources.
In October last year, the university had called for applications for five vacant administrative posts which were being held by in-charges. The posts were: registrar, controller of examinations, dean of college development council, director of the school of distance education and public relations officer. The university had received the applications till November, which were then scrutinised by committees formed for the purpose, and lists of candidates were submitted. But the process has been stalled since. When asked, higher education minister K P Anbalagan said the posts will be filled once the new VC is appointed.
As it has been around eight months since the applications were received, there are concerns whether it would be appropriate to select candidates for the posts from the same list. By now, some of the members who had applied for the posts might have already neared retirement age, said C Pichandy, former general secretary of the Association of University Teachers. “Also, by now, there could be more qualified people for the posts. So it would be fair if the university calls for fresh applications,” he said.
Non-teaching staff members say that over the past year several of them have retired. “The sanctioned strength of non-teaching staff members of the university is 483. But at present there are only 260 non-teaching staff members,” said a representative of the Bharathiar University Staff Association. This was affecting administrative functions of the university, said the representative.