Srinagar: With Kashmir University campus embroiled in academic uncertainty amid the start of the new academic session in Jammu and Kashmir, the varsity teachers have reiterated their passionate appeal to LG to make the final selection of the new Vice-Chancellor without any more delay “to save this institution from prevailing anarchy and further academic decay”.
Senior teachers who spoke to news agency hailed the LG Manoj Sinha, who is Chancellor of KU, for being “conscious of importance of academic institutions and their significance for the nation-building”.
“We are confident that J&K administration led by Honourable LG would never wish to see an academic institution as old as Kashmir University decaying vis-a-vis academics and research day by day especially when the new academic session has started after a long disturbance of three years due to Covid19 pandemic. Keeping the University in a state of uncertainty would certainly cause its further decay whose disastrous implications can be felt for a very long time by the student community,” the concerned teachers said.
They said the J&K LG has dedicated this year as Year of Academic Transformation but the inordinate delay in the appointment of VC KU won’t help realize this goal in the University under the prevailing leadership crisis.
“The present VC has lost interest in this institution and mostly remains out of station. The in-charge VC (VC IUST) happens to be stationed 40 kms away from KU and is rightly involved into the affairs of his own institution on a daily basis. In the process, KU faculty and students are suffering due to policy paralysis for last five months,” the concerned teachers said, requesting LG to make the final selection immediately so that derailed academic atmosphere is restored in the KU campus.
“Since Search Committee has already submitted its final panel to the Honourable Chancellor on April 23 after holding interaction with shortlisted candidates, the final appointment of VC candidate must be highly prioritized by the Honourable LG to save KU from further academic decay.”
The concerned teachers cautioned that any disturbance in the academic institution has great potential to cause disadvantageous deviations among the faculty and students and it is, therefore, important to realize the importance of keeping the faculty and students completely dedicated to studies and research under the leadership of a fully-fledged VC.
“Everything in KU has come to standstill. Not even a paper is moving. All policy decisions concerning teaching and research are pending. We hope orders for the appointment of VC are issued immediately by the Honourable LG whose dynamism and institutional commitment are beyond any shade of doubt. Like in the case of Jammu University, it is requested that the final appointment order in case of Kashmir University be also expedited and issued immediately.”
We wish the appointment is made purely on the basis of the rich academic and research credentials of the candidate, as Honourable LG has promised in earlier press statements, without any other considerations whatsoever, the concerned teachers said. (KNT)