With assembly elections over and the TRS retaining power, will the search committee constituted to facilitate appointment of a full-time Vice-Chancellor for Satavahana University (SU) expedite the process? Now, that is the million-dollar question.
In August this year, the State government had constituted the committee and invited applications from V-C aspirants. However, when it was set to submit the list of three shortlisted candidates to the government, Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao announced dissolution of the assembly and then the model code of conduct came into force.
Now with the political hurdles out of the way, university officials say the government must initiate appropriate measures for the V-C’s appointment so that the myriad issues dogging SU can be addressed.
‘Decision likely soon’
Admitting an inordinate delay in the appointment, Karimnagar MP B. Vinod Kumar said a decision is expected before another model code comes into force, what with elections to local bodies and the Lok Sabha round the corner. He also assured that measures are being taken to secure the elusive UGC 12B recognition for the university.
The decade-old university has been functioning without a regular V-C for the past four years, affecting academic, research and developmental activities. Incidentally, it is the only varsity in the State that is yet to secure the UGC 12B recognition, which is key to securing funds from the Union HRD Ministry for taking up academic programmes.
What’s worse, SU has not had a single convocation ceremony all these years despite several academics and philanthropists making donations for the distribution of gold medals to meritorious students. Donations have also been made for conducting memorial lectures, but in vain.
Since its establishment in 2008, the university has had only two regular Vice-Chancellors — Mohd. Iqbal Ali and K. Veera Reddy, each of whom completed their three-year terms. In between the two, Kakatiya University V-C B. Venkatratnam was in-charge V-C for about 10 months.
After Mr. Veera Reddy’s tenure, ex-GHMC commissioner B. Janardhan Reddy was posted as in-charge V-C in 2015 for a period of two years, followed by Commissioner and IG of Registrations and Stamps T. Chiranjeevulu last year.
Staff crunch
Staff shortage, both in teaching and non-teaching departments, is another issue ailing SU. All 10 professor and 16 associate professor posts are lying vacant. Only 20 assistant professors are working against the sanctioned 37. Similarly, as against the requirement of 51 non-teaching posts, only 36 posts are unfilled.
