Thiruvananthapuram: Protests increased against the new fashion selection of candidates to the Assistant Professor post at universities and colleges affiliated in Kerala.
It was alleged that the norm of the new selection adopted by state universities with the following guise a series of changes proposed by the University Grant Commission (UGC) would open the way for large-scale corruption and academic standard erosion.
According to the provisions in the 2018 UGC Regulation, the selection of candidates to the Professor’s assistant post must be carried out based on their performance in interviews.
New supporters of UGC norms indicate that an unprecedented battery for interviews will help select the right candidate candidates who have exemplary teaching skills and academic skills.
Calicut, Sansechkrit, Kannur, Malayalam, Cusat and Kerala University have adopted different norms for selection of new assistant professor posts.
While Kerala University and Cusat have decided to invite 10 of the best candidates for interviews for every single post, Calicut University has decided to invite 20 candidates for interviews.
The University of Kannur will invite all eligible candidates for interviews while MG University has decided to provide 100 marks on the candidate’s academic score and a maximum of 20 values for interviews.
The Kerala University Syndicate, who recently adopted UGC norms for the election of assistant professors, did it by expressing serious problems expressed by the University Academic Council.
The Academic Council recommends the university to invite only five top candidates for interviews.
But the University Syndicate decided to invite 10 candidates and allow universities to invite a number of candidates they consider suitable for interviews.
“There is no doubt that the selection process will not be transparent when the selection really depends on the sign printed by candidates in the interview.
The academic quality of the candidates will take the back seat and management and politicians will abuse the opportunity to choose candidates based on their interview scores,” said Chairperson of the Save Sasikumar campaign committee Sasikumar Hospital.
He said the decision of several universities to record candidate interviews was impossible to ensure transparency because the university was not even ready to share interview scores when asked in the provisions of the RTI Act.
All Kerala Private College Teacher Association Secretary General C Padmanabhan said the association was worried about the possibility of abuse of UGC norms in candidate selection.
“Even when we adopt UGC norms, no one prevents university management and colleges from building mechanisms where teaching skills and academic quality of candidates can be ascertained,” he said.
Protest mounts against new modes choose asst profs
