State sitting on key issues of varsities

Updated on: Saturday, December 10, 2011

Decisions on key and controversial academic and administrative issues in the State varsities is pending for the last few years and those involved in irregularities go scot-free with little action being taken by the government in the last two years.

While the appointment of Vice-Chancellors to several universities is still pending, academic activity has come to a standstill without the Executive Councils. Even the High Court has ordered the government to constitute the Executive Councils within two months in November but till now only two ECs – for JNTU Hyderabad and Osmania University -- have been constituted.

Reports pending

Officials remind that several enquiry reports are pending with the government apart from complaints against varsities on the ‘irregular' appointments or ‘illegal' admissions in the universities. Some heads of the varsities have already finished their term but the government has not initiated any action so far.

Ph.D admissions of Dravidian University and Rayalaseema University that created a furore are yet to be touched though reports have been submitted recommending action against the culprits.

Similarly, some appointments in Kakatiya University and Sri Krishnadevaraya University were also under the scanner and the enquiry committees suggested action to be taken. Though the V-Cs during whose tenure the alleged irregularities took place have completed their terms, those who were appointed against norms continue to serve in the varsities.

Another major issue has been the proposed amendments to the A.P. Education Act 1982. The idea was proposed after the mushrooming engineering and management colleges started haunting the government both on the admissions and administrative front.

In fact, the committee studied the Education Acts of Maharashtra, Karnataka, and Tamil Nadu to suggest measures to make the State Act stronger, particularly with regard to taking action against private institutes. But the decision is yet to come.

After Damodar Rajnarsimha took over as the Higher Education Minister, he promised to set up a tribunal to sort out disputes between students and institutions, and teachers and government institutions. That is yet to see the light of the day.

Excuse

Officials take the excuse of political uncertainty for the delay. “In the last two years the government was preoccupied with the Telangana issue and the change of Chief Ministers, and there was little time to concentrate on these issues,” a senior official said. “The concentration of the government was also totally on the controversy over the non-payment of fee reimbursement funds.”

However, some officials feel there is hardly any seriousness on part of the government to tackle these issues.

“There is no focus on fine-tuning the Education Department and the only activity that has been visible is the exercise over the appointment of V-Cs,” they say.

State sitting on key issues of varsities

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