Suhail Bhat
Srinagar, Apr 24: The Department of Biological Sciences at Kashmir has failed to fill 12 Assistant Professor positions advertised almost a year ago, with research scholars alleging that the department is creating an opportunity for favoured candidates by failing to appoint suitable candidates through a transparent recruitment process.
The research scholars allege that the university was considering appointing Ramanujan and Ramalingaswami fellows of biological sciences to these positions in violation of University Grants Commission (UGC) guidelines.
The university had called for online submissions for 12 Assistant Professor positions in the biological sciences on August 25th of last year, under advertisement number 2 of 2022. However, instead of following standard hiring procedures, the university put the positions on hold. The scholars claimed that the University’s decision had dashed the hopes of hundreds of PhD and PDF holders who are not eligible for Public Service Commission jobs.
According to the scholars, these fellows had been working with the university for the past five to six years and, according to the rules, should be given preference; however, they must still appear before the selection committee. The scholars allege that the university’s indecision was misleading and that it had not followed fair recruitment methods.
An official with knowledge of the matter disclosed that the university convened a meeting to address the matter, and the majority of the participants opposed the proposal to appoint the fellows to the position, citing the illegality of the process. “In the previous year, a meeting was organised, with the participation of department heads, the dean of the school of biological sciences, the joint registrar, and the joint registrar budget, during which all attendees, except for one, objected to the direct induction of these positions,” the official explained.
One of the research scholars, who has found over 15 new insect species, lamented that the university’s indecision had left them with no hope of securing a job. “I am 46 years old, and my only hope is to get integrated into the institution; if fair recruitment methods are not followed, how can I get a job?”
The research scholars have been raising the issue with the relevant department on numerous occasions, but as of yet, nothing has changed. “We want LG Manoj Sinha’s action to promote these posts openly, as the university is misleading the administration,” the scholars said.
The Vice Chancellor of Kashmir University, Neelofar Khan, told Excelsior that she is looking into the matter as the issue has been around for some time, and she intends to resolve it. “I am looking into it and will resolve it,” she said.
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