Bengal Guv, govt now spar over appointing student-VCs

Kolkata, July 1 Issues relating to functioning of state-run universities in West Bengal seems to be turning into a permanent area of confrontation between the Raj Bhavan and the state secretary.

Governor C.V. Ananda Bose’s proposal for creation of the post of “student vice-chancellors’ from among extraordinary meritorious students of the universities concerned has upset the state education department.

According to the Governor, the “student vice-chancellor” can be appointed from among the extraordinarily meritorious students, who have displayed excellent performance at the post- graduation level and are currently undergoing doctorate or other higher studies.

State education minister Bratya Basu said that although he is not quite aware of the exact proposal on this count, the appointment of vice-chancellors will have to be made as per guidelines set by the University Grants Commission (UGC).

“The UGC norms clearly say that anyone appointed as the vice chancellor of any state university will have to have a minimum experience in the post of professor, which means that the total teaching experience will be to the tune of 20 years,” he said.

On Friday only, it was announced that the Governor’s House in Bengal will be introducing parallel awards on its behalf for outstanding educationists, students and researchers associated with these state universities. It led to another tussle as traditionally the state education department had been the authority for announcing such awards in the education sector of the state.

Recently, the Raj Bhavan-State Secretariat spar reached its peak as the Governor appointed interim vice-chancellors for 11 state universities and the state government decided to stop payment of allowances and other financial entitlements to them.

The matter reached the Calcutta High Court and finally on June 26, a division bench dismissed the public interest litigation (PIL) filed challenging the decision of the Governor to appoint interim vice- chancellors for 11 state universities without the concurrence of the state education department.