VC for ‘serious’ reform in PU governance

Tribune news Service

Chandigarh, April 21

Panjab University Vice-Chancellor (VC) Arun Kumar Grover has called for “serious reform” in the governing structure of the university.

He has filed an affidavit in this regard on April 17 in an ongoing case regarding the PU’s financial crisis.

He said the “groupism in the Senate had reached such a sorry state that discussions do not happen on merit and factionalism prevails”.

Same members elected regularly to Syndicate

He said the Senate members desirous of continuing to remain the members of the Syndicate, year after year, started to form sub-groups to ensure that a handful of them get elected repeatedly. “The system permitted a member to get elected to the Syndicate from law faculty in one year, from science faculty in another year and language faculty in the third year and so on.”

“Senators, with no science experience, get elected on the behalf of the science faculty. Senators with no medical background frequently get elected on the behalf of the medical faculty and so on. It is sad fact that eminent scientists such as Prof DVS Jain (Chemistry), Prof AK Bhandari (Mathematics) and Prof BS Bhoop (Pharmacy) were not elected to the Syndicate for the past four years.”

He cited examples of syndicate members elected since 2005. “There are some faculties, such as law and Medical, in which ex-officio members ( i.e. Professors and heads of departments) are far outnumbered by the Senate members (and added members) and these faculties thus emerge as safe constituencies to project anyone, who is part of group maneuverings,” said VC.

Graduate constituency

“…the graduate constituency which elects fifteen members in the Senate have reached such a state that one needs only two to three thousand votes (i.e. about one per cent of the total electorate and about four per cent of the votes polled in a given election) to get elected...The electoral rolls have not been reviewed (or cross checked) for long and the university does not have wherewithal to engage in such an exercise.”

Dean elections

The Dean of the faculties are elected for one year. "The composition of the faculties in the PU system is such that only those academicians can get elected as Deans who have the potential to seek support from Senate members. The office of Dean, therefore, has stood compromised. Senior academicians get reluctant to contest for the Dean's election in the atmosphere of unhealthy groupism," he said.