University of Madras on a massive recruitment drive to fill in 150 faculty posts

Updated on: Wednesday, June 19, 2013

The University of Madras will begin a massive recruitment drive to fill in nearly 150 faculty posts, including that of 91 assistant professors and 50 associate professors from the first week of July. University officials said recruitment on such a scale is taking place after more than a decade.

The last recruitment drive in 2001 ran into controversy after a commission appointed by the state government found that a large number of ineligible candidates had been selected.

Vice chancellor R Thandavan said there are a total of 350 vacancies in the university. "Half of them will be filled in two months as it is mandatory for us to meet the minimum faculty criteria set by the University Grants Commission (UGC). This has to be met before the next National Assessment and Accreditation Council (NAAC) review," he said.

UGC insists on a minimum of four permanent teaching faculty in a department and eight in advanced departments, which are known as advanced research centres. The university does not meet the criteria.

Thandavan said a syndicate meeting on August 21 will ratify the recruitment process.

Professors and senior officials in the university administration said brokers and politicians are likely to influence recruitment. Raising this concern, a recent syndicate meeting refused to accede to the VC's request for independent powers to initiate recruitments.

"It was money, power and political influence that played in the 2001 recruitment. If the VC does not ensure a transparent selection process, free from political influence, several meritorious applicants are likely to be overlooked this time too," said a senior professor.

A senior administrative official said the lobbying has already begun.

"There is an active presence of brokers in the university. A former syndicate member who has no academic background but entered the syndicate as a nominee of a former governor is coordinating the 'business' of selling seats. His team is persuading the VC's office to facilitate the sale of posts as well as trying to bag multi-crore construction projects in the university," said the official. He added that a 'price' of 30 lakh has been fixed for new posts.

University of Madras on a massive recruitment drive to fill in 150 faculty posts

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