SP College principal’s post: University move raises eyebrows

It was the interview for the post of principal at S P College that was stalled. It was vacant for the last eight years. The scheduled date was December 14 for which an advertisement was published exactly a month ago. Interestingly, the university posted a letter to the college on December 13 and citing technical reasons asked the college to stop the procedure.

“We received the letter from university on December 14 and had to cancel the interviews, which were about to start. Some of the selection panel members and around 14 candidates who have come from across the state had to go back,” said Anant Mate, vice chairman of Shikshan Prasarak Mandali, the education institution, which runs S P College.

There are over 250 colleges in the jurisdiction of the university, which also have officiating principals and not the full time ones.

Recently, the issue of vacant posts of principals in the colleges affiliated to the university was taken up in the senate meeting and the vice-chancellor had promised to take action. Even the forum of principals had raised their voice in this regard.

The previous schedule of interview for principal at the S P College on November 9 had to be postponed owing to technical reasons. At that time the university’s selection panel members had cited that the advertisement given by the college was not proper.

When contacted, director of board of college and university development Pandit Vidyasagar said, “We stopped the procedure as the college concerned had not submitted the report of the previous meeting of selection panel taken place on November 9 to the university, which is necessary according to the rules.”

When asked why the university sent the letter on just the previous day of the interview, he said, “The University had to look into various aspects including the legal ones in such cases. There is a proper procedure to it and it is time consuming. Moreover, before sending the letter, the college and the members of the selection panel were informed about it over telephone and through e-mail.”