Incumbents’ tenure cut short to 3 years
Nishikant Khajuria
JAMMU, May 8: The Higher Education Department of Jammu and Kashmir today constituted a Search Committee for the appointment of new Vice-Chancellors of Cluster University Jammu and Cluster University Kashmir, thus cutting short tenure of the incumbent VCs and also ending all speculations over their continuation for a period of five years.
The three-member Search Committee, headed by Dr Asgar Hassan Samoon – Principal Secretary, School Education Department, shall draw up a panel of names for appointment of Vice-Chancellors of both the Cluster Universities.
Prof Talat Ahmad, Vice-Chancellor of the University of Kashmir and Prof Manoj Kumar Dhar, Vice-Chancellor of the University of Jammu, are Members of the Search Committee, which has been constituted by the Higher Education Department, in exercise of the power conferred by Section 12(2) of the Srinagar and Jammu Cluster Universities Act, 2016.
“Sanction is hereby accorded to the constitution of a Search Committee for drawing up a panel of names for appointment of Vice-Chancellors of Cluster University Jammu and Cluster University Srinagar,” said the Government order number 238-JK(HE) of 2020, dated 08-05-2020, issued by Secretary Higher Education, Talat Parvez Rohella.
The order further says that the incumbent Vice-Chancellors of both the Cluster Universities shall continue to hold the office till their successors are appointed.
The order on Search Committee has ended all speculations over possible continuation of both the incumbent Vice-Chancellors, Prof Anju Bhasin (Cluster University Jammu) and Dr Sheikh Javid Ahmed (Cluster University Srinagar), who were appointed as VC on January 19, 2017 for tenure of five years.
Their appointments were made by then Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti, who was ex-officio Chancellor of both the universities, as per the Srinagar and Jammu Cluster Universities Act, 2016, which was later amended under Jammu and Kashmir Reorganization (Adaptation) of State Laws) Order 2020, that came into force with effect from April 1, 2020.
As per the amended Act, tenure of the Vice-Chancellors of all the universities under Jammu and Kashmir Government, including both the Cluster Universities, has been reduced to three years from five years while Lt Governor is now ex-officio Chancellor of these universities.
Since amendments in the Cluster Universities Act, there was some confusion over completion of tenure of the incumbent Vice-Chancellors of both the universities as their appointments were made for a period of five years.
However, today’s order by Higher Education Department has cleared all confusions and made it clear that both the universities will soon have new Vice-Chancellors to be appointed from the panel of names drawn up by the Search Committee.
Pertinent to mention that both the Cluster Universities were established in the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir in 2016, under Centrally-sponsored Rashtriya Ucchtar Shiksha Abhiyan (RUSA) to run series of additional and advanced courses in the existing colleges, with one of the colleges each in Srinagar and Jammu acting as the Lead College for the new universities.
Follow our WhatsApp channel
