Univertsities in Telangana will not function without vice-chancellors even for a day unlike in the past when the positions were kept vacant for years under special officers rule.
This is the motto of the Congress government, according to officials, who have already started the process five months before the tenure of the current vice chancellors comes to an end.
Sources said the Higher Education department has prepared the necessary note and sent it to Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy for his perusal. Once he takes a call the process would begin, an official seeking anonymity said.
Principal Secretary, Higher Education, Burra Venkatesham is apparently on the job as the State government is keen to restore the prestige attached to the post of vice chancellors in Telangana. The process of appointing the search committees will begin once the CM gives his nod. In fact, the Chief Minister during a review meeting last month also indicated the same.
The tenure of several vice chancellors is ending in five months. There are 16 universities in Telangana and the tenure of 10 vice chancellors will end this May and they include VCs of Osmania University, Kakatiya University, Telangana University, Palamuru University, Satavahana University, Potti Sreeramulu Telugu University, Mahatma Gandhi University, JNTU-Hyderabad, Dr. Ambedkar Open University and Jawaharlal Nehru Architecture and Fine Arts University.
The other universities are functioning with in-charge vice chancellors. The Vice Chancellor of Agriculture University is selected through a different process compared to VCs of conventional universities.
Though the process of appointing the VCs includes seeking applications from the eligible aspirants several eyebrows were raised on the selection of some VCs during the BRS government rule. Some VCs were picked despite crossing the maximum age while a few others were appointed though they were not eligible or lacked the requisite expertise.
For the first time in recent history, a vice chancellor was caught by the Anti Corruption Bureau while taking a bribe at his residence. Telangana University VC Ravinder Gupta was arrested from his residence after taking a bribe of ₹ 50,000 for some official favour. During his tenure, the university witnessed a lot of controversies, including the appointment of Registrars – one by the VC and the other by the government. The mud-slinging match was played in the media later denting the image of the office of the VC and the university.
The Congress government doesn’t want such situations and this time highly qualified teachers with administrative experience and decency in public life are likely to be chosen, according to officials.
