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| Rare ‘Super Structure’ puts JU on fire | | Teachers, officers take protest march, meet Governor | | EARLY TIMES REPORT
JAMMU, Nov 27: An alleged ‘Super Structure’ has been a talk of the campus in Jammu University for quite some time. A little over a year back, the scene was like “all versus one” when a Professor questioned the phenomenal rise of a University official to an “administrative monster”.
Today, when the University is passing through an uncertainty and ‘certain’ unrest over appointment of the new Vice Chancellor, the same ‘Super Structure’ is back to a seething debate and the scene is again like “all versus one”. The only difference is that that “all” who had stood in support of the ‘Super Structure’ last year are again on their feet but to question the existence same ‘Super Structure’ which they suddenly discovered as something running over their heads. Ironically, the teachers and officers of the University of Jammu have taken to their ‘democratic battle’ just ten days after end of the term of Prof Amitabh Mattoo as Vice Chancellor who is currently overseeing the campus on a stop gap arrangement.
A joint petition has been made before the Chancellor of the University (the Governor), perhaps first from the Jammu University in last several years, against an allegedly arbitrary order of November 17 which designated an officer of the University as most powerful and somebody next only to the Vice Chancellor. Before meeting the Governor, the teachers and officers took out a protest march around the campus seeking answer to a question –“the six year journey of a teacher from Lecturer to Professor and then assuming sweeping powers next to the Vice Chancellor”.
What caused the immediate provocation was a flow chart in the office of Dr Meenakshi Kilam, Chairperson/Director, Center for Quality Assurance and Strategic Planning. The flow chart shows her as second top officer at the University, next only to the Vice Chancellor. This set the ball rolling and the teachers and officers went on to find the source of authority. They said that an order of the Vice Chancellor dated November 17 (precisely Prof Mattoo’s last day in office) designated Kilam as second top officer at the Campus.
This had the teachers and officers infuriated who at once raised a banner of revolt. Close confidantes of Prof Mattoo, including Dean Academic Affairs Prof BPS Sehgal and Dean Social Sciences Prof Kulwant Kaur surprised all by standing against the order of the Vice Chancellor. Sources said that Prof Mattoo had on Wednesday offered to constitute a committee to review the controversial order but the teachers outrightly rejected this offer and rather questioned his authority of doing so at a time when he technically ceased to be the Vice Chancellor. Despite all persuasions they preferred to meet the Governor and seek his intervention into the issue.
President of the JUTA, NK Tripathi after staging protest march submitted a memorandum to the chancellor and demanded disbanding of the quality assurance cell. Prof Tripathi said that the notification giving assent to such an arrangement should be immediately withdrawn.
He said, "we do not require the quality cell. We are deadly against the cell. It should be finished". He said, in the absence of appointment of new vice chancellor the atmosphere is full of uncertainty. It is uncertainty on the campus. We told teh governor immediately appoint the vice chancellor. Our teachers are suffering.
Chancellor has assured us that appropriate action will be taken in the shortest possible time frame.
The teachers joined hands in large numbers and marched on foot across the University campus raising question marks and the intentions behind taking one sided decision. The teachers alleged that even the council of the university was not taken in to confidence before taking such a controversial decision. Large number of senior professors believed to be close to the university vice chancellor prof Amitabh Mattoo also raised their voices against giving super power to Dr Kilam. It may be mentioned that under the arrangement Dr Meenakshi Kilam would get sweeping powers after vice chancellor and even senior faculty members working as dean academic affairs and registrar would come under the direct control of Dr Kilam. The teaching community of the Jammu University has also raised question marks over the need to incorporate term 'strategic planning' along with quality assurance at a time when vice chancellor Prof Amitabh Mattoo has been asked to continue under stop gap arrangement till search for new vice chancellor was over.
It may be recalled here that last year all teaching and non teaching fraternity of the University (including those who took part on today’s protest) had stood up against a Professor from the Department of Political Science who had questioned the phenomenal rise of Dr Kilam. In one voice they had strongly recommended action against the Professor and described her questioning as insubordination. The teacher was later removed from the post of the Head of the Department. |
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