Will fill all vacant posts by March: VC
Suhail Bhat
Srinagar, Dec 29: Many key positions at Kashmir University have been vacant for years due to lack of hiring, leaving many departments without heads and forcing the University to delegate additional responsibilities to staff members who are not even subject experts to manage these departments or positions.
Officials told Excelsior that the posts have not been advertised for a number of years, which has allowed favouritism to thrive in the Varsity and it has negatively impacted the entire operation of this premier educational institution.
“One person, who is the administration’s favorite, has been holding many positions without merit, which has had an impact on both the University’s operations and the workplace culture,” an official said.
Officials informed Excelsior that the Registrar’s term ended on January 19, 2022, but he is still in his position because the University has not advertised it despite the passing of several months.
The other tenure-based position, Additional Controller of Examination, has been vacant for the last two years. Similarly, the Director of the Convocation complex and Director of Physical Education positions have been vacant for 5 and 8 years, respectively.
Similarly, the Director positions of the Internal Quality Assurance Cell (DIQA) and State Resource Centre (SRC) have been vacant for two and seven years, respectively. The position of director of EMMRC has also been vacant for the last 2–3 years. The vacant director (IT and SS) position, which has been handled by a D-level scientist for the previous 10 years, has had an impact on the department’s operations.
Official sources said that these positions are being held by some Professors who have been asked to perform these additional duties until further orders. However, this takes a toll on their original job, which is teaching and research. “To make things worse, these charges have been given to the professors, who have no expertise in the departments or roles,” an official said.
For instance, he said, a Professor of Political Science has been granted additional responsibility for managing the Alama Iqbal Library in place of a librarian position that has been vacant for a number of years.
Similarly, he added, the Physical Education Department is run by a Professor from the Linguistics Department. “I wonder what the criteria was for choosing him for a job. The fields of Linguistics and Physical Education are nowhere near each other,” he said.
The post of Public Relations Officer is another crucial position that has been unfilled since 2006. After the former PRO was fired due to corruption allegations, the position became empty, an official said, adding that a lot of recent graduates in the field of Mass Communication could be the ideal candidates.
Vice Chancellor of Kashmir University, Nilofar Khan, told Excelsior that the matter is already being taken into consideration and that the hiring process will speed up in the coming months. “We will aim to fill every position by the end of March,” she added.
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