Form collegium to select VCs, say academics

Chandigarh, June 22

A group of academicians today said the recent instances of politically motivated appointments of Vice Chancellors (VC) were going to vitiate the academic environment in the country.

Dr Rabinder Nath Sharma, former fellow PU Senate, Prof Chaman Lal, former president, JNUTA, Prof Akshaya Kumar, Panjab University, Chandigarh, Prof Amir Sultana, Panjab University, Chandigarh and Prof JS Gill, Punjab Engineering College, Chandigarh, said the position of the VC in any university was traditionally considered sacrosanct and the appointee was considered to be of high academic merit and moral standing.

They said the VCs were appointed according to will of political masters. They obviously had no option except to promote interests of the political group which supports them.

They said an alternative mechanism was needed wherein some senior scholars of the region should select the VC. They said a collegium of experts should be formed, which should be given full autonomy to select VC. They said a serious institutional architecture must be built so that institutes do not become playground of electoral politics. TNS