The Government has sanctioned 118 posts for the Sree Narayana Guru Open University (SNGOU) to launch 12 undergraduate and five postgraduate courses.
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Those sanctioned include 56 teaching posts, including four posts for directors of the university’s designated regional centres and five for the heads of its study centres. These posts are intended to be filled on deputation. The others which include posts for 46 assistant professors and the director for the Centre for Internal Quality Assurance are meant to be filled on contract basis.
Five deputy registrars and assistant registrars each, and four section officers will be filled during the appointment process.
The university, which had repeatedly sought the creation of posts for its full-fledged functioning, recently reiterated its demand following a Syndicate meeting last month.
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While the alleged move to bypass the Kerala Public Service Commission (PSC) for appointments has sparked criticism, sources said the university’s prospects hinged on filling up the posts without further delay. The disinclination of distance education faculties of other universities in joining the fledgling institution put paid to the Government’s redeployment plans.
Having been unable to gain University Grants Commission (UGC) recognition for its distance education courses, the university faced the threat of missing the bus yet again due to the delay in appointments and curriculum framing process. Both factors are crucial pre-requisites for the gaining recognition.
While the UGC’s Distance Education Bureau (DEB) is likely to reopen its portal to enable higher education institutions to apply in December or January, it remained doubtful if the SNGOU would be able to complete its appointment process in time.
Besides, the university has completed only 40% of its curriculum development for study materials thus far. The institution would have to wait for another six months to seek approval if it failed to fast-track such activities.