3 acting VCs in two years at agri varsity, no regular appointment yet

For the first time in the 45-year history of Himachal Pradesh Agriculture University (HPAU), three acting vice-chancellors have been appointed simultaneously. The post has remained vacant since August 2023. In the past four decades, such a situation has never been witnessed — the university has always had regular vice-chancellors.

In 2016, during the tenure of then Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh and Governor Acharya Devvrat, regular vice-chancellors were appointed to both HPAU, Palampur and Dr YS Parmar University of Horticulture and Forestry, Solan. During that period, the ranking of both universities improved significantly — Solan University rose from 36th to 12th place nationally, while Palampur University moved up from 23rd to 11th.

This progress was attributed not only to the efficiency of the then vice-chancellors but also to the support extended by the state government. The financial health of both universities improved, regular recruitment of teachers and staff was ensured and both institutions received grants worth crores from the state government and Centre. Students and faculty also benefited from opportunities for training and research in foreign universities.

However, the current state of the education sector in the state has become concerning. There is uncertainty over the appointment of vice-chancellors. Himachal Pradesh University in Shimla remained without a regular vice-chancellor for two years, while HP Technical University in Hamirpur is also being run by an acting head. The post of chairman of the Higher Education Regulatory Commission continues to lie vacant, and even the appointment of the School Education Board Chairman took place only after a series of distressing and erroneous exam results.

Frequent errors in advertisements and selection processes, along with court-imposed stays on recruitment, have worsened the situation. The education sector appears to have fallen victim to administrative chaos and political interference. When chairpersons of selection committees are changed in violation of statutory provisions, a favourable court ruling seems unlikely. As a result, both universities have slipped in national rankings — prompting the public to question who would be held accountable for this decline.

The time has come for the government to rise above politics and take transparent, concrete decisions in the public interest. Universities are the intellectual heritage of the state — they must not be treated as laboratories for experimentation but nurtured as true centres of excellence.