Thiruvananthapuram: Close on the heels of backdoor appointments row, state higher education minister KT Jaleel has been accused of putting pressure on Kerala University to approve an aided college management’s request to shift an associate professor in Latin language to the English department. KU had once rejected the request put forward by the management of St Xavier’s College, Thumba on the grounds that UGC rules and regulations were against shifting of faculty from one department to another.
The management is seeking permission to shift principal-cum-associate professor in Latin language Dasappan VY to English department where a retirement vacancy has arisen. The management stated that Dasappan has all the required academic qualifications to be appointed as faculty in English department. But, KU had rejected the request on the ground that a candidate, appointed as a faculty in a particular department, cannot be shifted to an entirely different department just because the college management wanted it.
However, the management took up the matter with Jaleel who in turn convened a meeting of KU authorities, including vice-chancellor VP Mahadevan Pillai, at his chamber in the presence of college principal; he wanted the university to reconsider the request. KU syndicate discussed the report and referred the matter for the consideration of a sub-committee which is yet to file a report.
Now, KU VC has scheduled an emergency syndicate meeting on Wednesday to discuss the matter, allegedly at the instigation of the minister.
According to a complaint submitted by Save University Campaign Committee to governor Arif Mohammed Khan, the minister – who had kicked up several controversies by encroaching on the autonomy of universities–was pressurising KU to approve an aided college management’s request as part of some underhand deal.
The request, if approved, would prompt aided college managements to shift teachers from one subject to another according to its whims. It would derail the purpose selection committees and rules laid down by UGC, it said.
According to the campaign committee, the college management had allegedly appointed a nominee of the minister as assistant professor in the college by overlooking an applicant from the Latin community on the condition that he would get the management’s request approved by the university.