West Bengal education minister opposes appointment of interim VCs in universities – Times of India

KOLKATA: West Bengal’s Education Minister Bratya Basu has expressed his disapproval of the appointment of interim vice-chancellors in state universities. He believes that such “stopgap measures” from Raj Bhavan have caused a state of disorder in the universities. The minister’s remarks come in response to the recent appointment of Mathematics professor Buddhadeb Sau as the acting Vice Chancellor of Jadavpur University by West Bengal Governor CV Ananda Bose.
Taking a subtle jibe at the governor, the minister stated on Monday that the files concerning the appointment of Vice Chancellors in state-run or state-aided universities remain “unattended” in the governor’s office.
“The recommendations of search committees formed by higher education department are not being considered. The files related to VCs’ appointments are left unattended. A game of passing the ball goes on. The action of Raj Bhavan has triggered a chaotic situation in varsities,” he said.
Asked about the appointment of Sau as the officiating VC of the varsity, the minister said, “We are not in favour of having interim VCs. These are ad-hoc steps. We want to have permanent VCs in different universities as long-term measures.”
Jadavpur University has been in the eye of a storm of criticism over the death of a first-year undergraduate student after allegedly being ragged and sexually harassed.
Basu expressed confidence that the “good intentions” of students will help stop ragging. “We want to ensure that studies are not disturbed,” he said.
The 17-year-old undergraduate student died after falling from a second-floor balcony of the main boys’ hostel on August 9. His family alleged that he was a victim of ragging and sexual harassment. Thirteen people, including former and current students of JU, were arrested in connection with the death of the student.