A Vice-Chancellor is supposed to be an embodiment of scholarship and knowledge, leading a value-based life, always conscious of his being a role model. He must remember that he is the creator of India's future
Bihar has historically played a great role in the generation of ideas, creation of knowledge and its application in human welfare and civilisational welfare. Who does not know about the Nalanda University which became a much sought-after institution of international scholarsIJ One is referring to the historical Nalanda, not the one being mentored by Amartya Sen. The much-hyped project was expected to restore the lost glory of Nalanda University of the yore and, hence, also of Bihar and India.
People were left in a state of shock and dismay when its first Vice-Chancellor was appointed. It was in true Bihar-style in which the State is suffering a decline in education for decades together. For the past over two years, the country witnessed the tussle between the Government of Bihar and the Chancellor of its State universities; the Governor. It culminated finally in the sacking of over a dozen VCs and Pro-VCs just some two months ago. Now, the vacancies existing in 11 universities have been duly advertised and applications invited from eligible candidates. The new Governor shall have two his nominees as against one of the State Government on the selection committee. The candidates shall, in all probability, be interviewed also. This, presently, is the most important activity in educational development of Bihar.
The practice of advertising the top positions in national-level academic institutions, Central and State university Vice-Chancellors, was introduced in the period of UPA1, around 2005. In a unique instance, 15 VCs of newly created Central Universities were picked out of 15 separate panels, each consisting of three luminaries. It was prepared by a single search-cum-selection committee appointed by the then Union Minister for Human Resources. Appointment letters were issued just a day before the announcement of the general election and the imposition of the code of conduct by the Election Commission. As the five-year term of most of them expires in March 2014, the process shall be expedited to beat the imposition of the pre-election code once again.
Academics from Jamia Milia Islamia, one of our great national institutions, often blessed with VCs from non-academic disciplines, have come out with a very genuine appeal that the new VC should be an eminent academic scholar. Their apprehensions are genuine: As senior academics, they know what is expected of a VC. They also know what eminent academics and stalwarts have delineated on the qualities that the search committee should look for, while empanelling the aspirants. Think of some VCs of the yore: S Radhakrishnan, Sir Ramaswami Mudaliar, Asutosh Mookerjee, Pt Madan Mohan Malaviya, Ganganath Jha; Amaranth Jha, Zakir Husain and several others. It would strongly emerge that a VC has to be an eminent scholar with genuine contributions in the chosen professional area of expertise that give him/her a stature and standing amongst peers.
The Kothari Commission was not in favour of ‘appointments of persons who have retired from other fields’. Defining the contours of rare exceptions, it warned that it “should not be made an excuse for ‘accommodating’ or ‘rewarding’ individuals” who do not fulfill the conditions laid down’.
Politicians and bureaucrats think otherwise. The Kendriya Vidyalaya Sangathan and the Central Board of Secondary Education are permanently headed by bureaucrats. Similar is the position in State organisations also. The idea extends to universities. The politician-bureaucrat nexus cares little for the stipulations made by different committees and commissions and views expressed by scholars and academics on who should be appointed as a Vice-Chancellor.
Retired persons from police, defence forces, bureaucracy have adorned the coveted academic positions after retirement in several state universities and hence, are invariably in the ‘race’ that gets organised months before a vacancy is likely to arise. let the facts be faced. Mostly every search/selection committee for empanelling names for the position of the Vice-Chancellor of a State university has a Chancellor’s nominee. In addition there could be one Government’s nominee.
A Vice-Chancellor must participate in professional pursuits, research, innovations and teaching. It would be futile to project such expectations from a political appointee who merely depends on powers of the post and regulations and provisions of the university Act. Some of them even behave like politicians in power and indulge in astounding levels of indiscretions.
In the general public perception, the Vice-Chancellor is supposed to be an embodiment of scholarship and knowledge, leading a value-based life, always conscious of his being a role model. He should remain conscious that he is the creator of India’s future and his prime task is to provide opportunities to the academics to conduct their learned work without any fears, fetters or impediments.
He himself should be an active partner in it, apart from being facilitator. Once appointed, he deserves, and must act with, full dignity and regard.