Prof, guide at loggerheads

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, July 23

Another quarrel between two Panjab University professors reached the Syndicate meeting today. The case pertains to extension of research period of a scholar from the English department. The researcher’s guide is a retired professor who had a quarrel with the chairperson of the department in her office last week over the signature on the scholar’s application for extension. Previously, a quarrel between two teachers over roof usage of residential area on the campus had reached the Syndicate.

The research scholar is working as an associate professor in Jalandhar and her six years of PhD has ended. Her guide is a retired professor, Rana Nayyar, and she was seeking an extension in her research period. She approached the chairperson Rumina Sethi for the same who pointed out that according to rules, she must submit a fee of Rs 5,000 to the general branch before she can recommend the same.

Sethi claims that Nayyar reached her office and asked her to sign the letter as it was. Nayyar said that he was just asking the chairperson to do her job as checking the fee is the job of the general branch. Nayyar took up the matter with the Dean University Instruction and the Vice-Chancellor, who tabled it at the Syndicate meeting today.

The Syndicate decided to bypass the chairperson and granted the extension to the scholar, according to sources. The chairperson has expressed displeasure over the move saying, “Syndicate should have spoken to me; if the university lays down rules they should be followed”.

She added that the general branch had raised two other objections as well including one that the scholar had not mentioned the reason as to why she could not complete her PhD in time.

Nayyar on the other hand says, “The chairperson has no regard for a senior colleague. I know the rules well as I have been chairperson of the same department”.

“The teachers are there to help the students and not cause problems to them.” Nayyar also feels that teachers do not treat the PhD scholars well who have to go through a lot of harassment in the university, he said.