Months on, IAS officer at the helm of KU

Vishal Joshi

Tribune News Service

Kurukshetra, February 11

Kurukshetra University, the oldest and largest university of the state, is marred by ad-hoc culture.

A senior IAS officer has been holding a dual charge of Vice Chancellor for seven months. Besides, many teaching departments are being run by faculty members hired on temporary basis.

Information gathered by The Tribune confirms that over 300 sanctioned posts, including that of professors (28), associate professors (62) and assistant professors (82) have been lying vacant in the university for many years.

Similarly, in the departments running under the self-finance scheme (SFS), 18 posts of professors, 38 of associate professors and 84 of assistant professors are lying vacant.

The teaching community has blamed the ruling BJP government of giving the cold shoulder to the higher education in the state.

Faculty members said even as the BJP claimed to give utmost importance to the education sector, it had completely ignored KU.

After Lt Gen DDS Sandhu resigned from KU on July 22, the state government appointed Hardeep Kumar, Additional Chief Secretary, Public Works Department, as the VC.

The teachers said ad-hocism was ruining the university work culture.

“We were hopeful that change in the political guard would improve the situation, but the Manohar Lal Khattar government has failed to do us any good. Established in 1956 as a unitary residential university, KU is considered one of the important institutes of higher education in the country. But in the absence of a regular VC, we can’t take up our issues with the state government,” said a senior faculty member.

Members of the Kurukshetra University Teachers’ Association (KUTA) said an academician with a proven academic record should be appointed VC with complete autonomy.

“A large number of posts in the teaching and non-teaching departments are vacant. The situation hampers timely declaration of results and presents a poor image of the university,” said Dr Parmesh Kumar, KUTA president.