Srinagar, Mar 24: Amid the ongoing process for appointment of new Vice-Chancellor for the University of Kashmir, Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha has said that the appointment of Vice-Chancellors of J&K Universities has been done purely on the basis of academic and research achievements.

Addressing a symposium at SKICC here, the LG remarked: “The appointment of Vice-Chancellors of J&K Universities has been done purely on the basis of academic and research achievements, the result of which would be visible in the coming days.”

The LG has put speculations to rest that any Vice-Chancellor in J&K University would be considered for appointment without having the necessary academic and research credentials.

The LG’s statement comes days after Raj Bhawan cleared the appointment of Prof Umesh Rai from the Department of Zoology, the University of Delhi as the new Vice-Chancellor of the University of Jammu for a period of three years and before him the appointment of Prof Nazir Ahmad, Prof Shakil Romshoo and Prof Akbar Masood as the VCs of SKUAST K, IUST and BGSB University respectively.

It is noteworthy that the appointment process for the new VC of Kashmir University is presently underway by the Search Committee headed by Dr Pankaj Mittal, Secretary General Association of Indian Universities. The members on the Search Committee are Prof Muhammad Miyan, former VC MANU Hyderabad, and Prof Najma Akhtar, VC Jamia Millia Islamia University New Delhi.

KU teachers have already appealed to LG, who is Chancellor of J&K Universities and appointing authority for VCs, to make the selection of VC for the University on the basis of academic and research credentials and in total adherence to UGC norms and Supreme Court guidelines on eligibility for appointment of VCs, which call for mandatory 10-year teaching experience of an applicant as a professor in a University system or in an equivalent grade.

“The honorable LG’s assurance that the appointment of VC is being done on basis of academic and research credentials is timely and reassuring. We hope our University gets good VC who will take it to new heights of excellence,” said a group of KU teachers, thanking the LG for his assurance.

They have urged the Search Committee to finalize the selection process without any delay so that the new VC joins at the earliest, thus putting an end to academic uncertainty in the University campus.

Pertinent to mention here that J&K Government has the flagged year 2022 as the Year of Academic Transformation in the Union Territory to address the disturbances caused to education by the recent Covid19 pandemic. knt