Shocking irregularities galore in Ravenshaw Varsity postings
- SUNDAY, 23 OCTOBER 2011 00:19
- BASUDEV MALLIK | BHUBANESWAR
- HITS: 126
The Ravenshaw University in Cuttack was conceived to act independently for promotion of high standards in teaching, institutional management and an ideal atmosphere to fortify the glorious past of the historical institution, originally having its inception as the Ravenshaw College. Nobody expected that things would go awry so soon with the State's premiere educational institute turning into a free pasture for vested interests, that too at the behest of its top manager, the Vice-Chancellor, sources said.
Despite university Vice-Chancellor Devdas Chhotray having his own arguments on the issue, gross irregularities in the posting of teaching and non-teaching staff in violation of set norms, bungling in expenditures on construction works in violation of rules, unwarranted and unwanted appointment of officials to act according to the master’s dictates and undue favour to a few to maintain a band of sycophants are only a few instances which are fraught with details that tell big stories, according to the sources. They rued that the Ravenshaw University has no more remained the lofty Ravenshaw of the past that churned out educationists, scientists, freedom fighters and intellectuals who carved out a special niche for the State in the national and international arena.
When one looks at the posting of faculty members, it is like this: After the candidates were once short-listed, an aggregate of 70 was arbitrarily fixed (through a verbal understanding of the Selection Board) as the cutoff mark for selection interview for the post of Professors. Professors in Botany, Economics, English, Hindi and History were posted accordingly but professors in Political Science and Geology were posted even though the candidates secured less than 70. Professor Niranjan Barik who secured 67.5 was offered contractual posting as Adjunct Professor. Professor Nachiketa Das, a dual citizen of India and Australia, who secured only 61.5 and has no much teaching and research experiences, also comfortably got through with a regular professor's post! Though with no statutory designation, he is vested with almost all administrative powers.
It may be mentioned here that Das, whose selection as professor has been challenged in the Odisha High Court, has been put in charge of chairing the selection process of contractual appointments at the sweet will of the VC. Several queries sought from Das on different issues relating to his professional experiences under the RTI Act have not yet been complied with.
Besides, non-teaching staff like Executive Secretary; Director, Knowledge Centre; Development Officer; Media Officer and System Administrator were appointed as per the vice-chancellor's choice. The postings got post-facto approval by a self-appointed committee with hand-picked members and without any external members in the so-called panel. Appointment of Ramaswamy as Director, Knowledge Centre was made against objections by the DHE nominee, the sources informed.
Although the non-teaching staff provided by the Government at the initial stage gave their option to continue under the university, the authorities have written to the Government to take back the staff, without giving them any scope to face interviews. The authorities have attributed the reason to their lack of knowledge in computer, although both public and private organisations not only in Odisha but all over the country are known to have reoriented their existing staff to computer literacy which has proved quite effective.
Not only this, the contractual appointments were made in violation of reservation norms.
There have been serious allegations that candidates were chosen first and criteria for recruitment were laid down later. A number of spouse cases - in the Departments of Physics, Chemistry and Mathmatics - are also noticed. In the Department of Science, the wife of an adviser of a vocal students' organisation was was given appointment to appease the leader. Besides, another relation of this gentleman was also appointed on contractual basis. One professor who does not have the qualification to be appointed as a professor, is put in charge of the whole contractual appointment affair.
In the selection of regular faculty, violation of reservation norms shows up prominently. In Applied Geography three out of four lecturer posts are reserved while in other departments the distributions are either Zero or one, pointing to unequal advantages for various departments. Not to be surprised, one of the applicants in the selection of professors in s science departments was a Director's nominee for a selection committee during that interview.
On the other hand, the selection of regular faculty is limited to 83 only against the sanctioned strength of 153 with cases pending against 14 posts. Against this backdrop, appointment of faculty on contractual basis instead of regular selection has raised many eyebrows. Even interviews for Sanskrit and Computer Science have not taken place and the reasons are best known to the VC. In the end, high standard teaching has become a casualty with inexperienced and sub-standard members on the faculty numbering more than 80.
The sources said it all points to a one-man show at the Ravenshaw that suits to an individual's whim which has set in an atmosphere of arbitrary rule that virtually entails many vices, vitiating the sacred halo of high standards in education and educational culture that the Ravenshaw had once blessed itself with under the dedicated guidance and selfless contribution of great souls.
On the other hand, VC Chhotroy, when contacted, said ha was only trying to bring about a radical change in the educational and cultural atmosphere that existed prior to the Ravenshaw becoming a full-fledged university, hoping that the new atmosphere would match that of a modern world-class university and had done no wrong that would, in future, harm the academic ethos.
The VC argued that times have so changed that when a new organisation takes root "you don't find adequate number of people with requisite qualifications coming forward to take up appointments because, for them, the risk factor weighs. But in my view, the selection committee has tried to do the best possible on its part." The contractual appointments, were necessary as a temporary measure due to non-availability of applicants with requisite qualification and experiences, he said.
On allegations over appointment of Prof Nachiketa Das and Knowledge Centre Director Ramaswamy, he said they were the best suitable candidates for the posts with wide-ranging experience and profound knowledge in their respective fields. The VC was happy for his initial contribution to building the university but rued that his detractors, who might have vested interests, have tried time and again to malign him and have not given up their pursuit even when he is on his way out.
Despite university Vice-Chancellor Devdas Chhotray having his own arguments on the issue, gross irregularities in the posting of teaching and non-teaching staff in violation of set norms, bungling in expenditures on construction works in violation of rules, unwarranted and unwanted appointment of officials to act according to the master’s dictates and undue favour to a few to maintain a band of sycophants are only a few instances which are fraught with details that tell big stories, according to the sources. They rued that the Ravenshaw University has no more remained the lofty Ravenshaw of the past that churned out educationists, scientists, freedom fighters and intellectuals who carved out a special niche for the State in the national and international arena.
When one looks at the posting of faculty members, it is like this: After the candidates were once short-listed, an aggregate of 70 was arbitrarily fixed (through a verbal understanding of the Selection Board) as the cutoff mark for selection interview for the post of Professors. Professors in Botany, Economics, English, Hindi and History were posted accordingly but professors in Political Science and Geology were posted even though the candidates secured less than 70. Professor Niranjan Barik who secured 67.5 was offered contractual posting as Adjunct Professor. Professor Nachiketa Das, a dual citizen of India and Australia, who secured only 61.5 and has no much teaching and research experiences, also comfortably got through with a regular professor's post! Though with no statutory designation, he is vested with almost all administrative powers.
It may be mentioned here that Das, whose selection as professor has been challenged in the Odisha High Court, has been put in charge of chairing the selection process of contractual appointments at the sweet will of the VC. Several queries sought from Das on different issues relating to his professional experiences under the RTI Act have not yet been complied with.
Besides, non-teaching staff like Executive Secretary; Director, Knowledge Centre; Development Officer; Media Officer and System Administrator were appointed as per the vice-chancellor's choice. The postings got post-facto approval by a self-appointed committee with hand-picked members and without any external members in the so-called panel. Appointment of Ramaswamy as Director, Knowledge Centre was made against objections by the DHE nominee, the sources informed.
Although the non-teaching staff provided by the Government at the initial stage gave their option to continue under the university, the authorities have written to the Government to take back the staff, without giving them any scope to face interviews. The authorities have attributed the reason to their lack of knowledge in computer, although both public and private organisations not only in Odisha but all over the country are known to have reoriented their existing staff to computer literacy which has proved quite effective.
Not only this, the contractual appointments were made in violation of reservation norms.
There have been serious allegations that candidates were chosen first and criteria for recruitment were laid down later. A number of spouse cases - in the Departments of Physics, Chemistry and Mathmatics - are also noticed. In the Department of Science, the wife of an adviser of a vocal students' organisation was was given appointment to appease the leader. Besides, another relation of this gentleman was also appointed on contractual basis. One professor who does not have the qualification to be appointed as a professor, is put in charge of the whole contractual appointment affair.
In the selection of regular faculty, violation of reservation norms shows up prominently. In Applied Geography three out of four lecturer posts are reserved while in other departments the distributions are either Zero or one, pointing to unequal advantages for various departments. Not to be surprised, one of the applicants in the selection of professors in s science departments was a Director's nominee for a selection committee during that interview.
On the other hand, the selection of regular faculty is limited to 83 only against the sanctioned strength of 153 with cases pending against 14 posts. Against this backdrop, appointment of faculty on contractual basis instead of regular selection has raised many eyebrows. Even interviews for Sanskrit and Computer Science have not taken place and the reasons are best known to the VC. In the end, high standard teaching has become a casualty with inexperienced and sub-standard members on the faculty numbering more than 80.
The sources said it all points to a one-man show at the Ravenshaw that suits to an individual's whim which has set in an atmosphere of arbitrary rule that virtually entails many vices, vitiating the sacred halo of high standards in education and educational culture that the Ravenshaw had once blessed itself with under the dedicated guidance and selfless contribution of great souls.
On the other hand, VC Chhotroy, when contacted, said ha was only trying to bring about a radical change in the educational and cultural atmosphere that existed prior to the Ravenshaw becoming a full-fledged university, hoping that the new atmosphere would match that of a modern world-class university and had done no wrong that would, in future, harm the academic ethos.
The VC argued that times have so changed that when a new organisation takes root "you don't find adequate number of people with requisite qualifications coming forward to take up appointments because, for them, the risk factor weighs. But in my view, the selection committee has tried to do the best possible on its part." The contractual appointments, were necessary as a temporary measure due to non-availability of applicants with requisite qualification and experiences, he said.
On allegations over appointment of Prof Nachiketa Das and Knowledge Centre Director Ramaswamy, he said they were the best suitable candidates for the posts with wide-ranging experience and profound knowledge in their respective fields. The VC was happy for his initial contribution to building the university but rued that his detractors, who might have vested interests, have tried time and again to malign him and have not given up their pursuit even when he is on his way out.
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