MU will be recruiting faculty on such a large scale after almost a decade, last recruitment drive in 2001 ran into controversy after a commission appointed by the state government found that a large number of ineligible candidates had been selected.
This time again people have expressed their concern over brokers becoming active as soon as the recruitment drive begins. A senior official of the varsity has said that a ‘price’ of 30 lakh has been fixed for new posts.
R Thandavan, MU Vice chancellor informed that there are a total of 350 vacancies in the university. “Half of them will be filled in two months as it is mandatory for us to meet the minimum faculty criteria set by the University Grants Commission (UGC). This has to be met before the next National Assessment and Accreditation Council (NAAC) review,” Thandavan said.
The VC said that a syndicate meeting on August 21 will ratify the recruitment process.
However, professors and senior officials in the university administration are of the view that brokers and politicians are likely to influence recruitment.
Raising this concern, a recent syndicate meeting refused to agree to VC’s request for independent powers to initiate recruitments.
“It was money, power and political influence that played in the 2001 recruitment. If the VC does not ensure a transparent selection process, free from political influence, several meritorious applicants are likely to be overlooked this time too,” a senior professor said.
A senior administrative official confirmed that the lobbying has already begun. “There is an active presence of brokers in the university. A former syndicate member who has no academic background but entered the syndicate as a nominee of a former governor is coordinating the ‘business’ of selling seats. His team is persuading the VC's office to facilitate the sale of posts as well as trying to bag multi-crore construction projects in the university,” said the official, reported Times of India.
Source: http://www.indiaeducationreview.com/news/madras-university-fill-350-teaching-posts-july-officials-allege-price-fixed-30-lakh
