The appointment of Vice-Chancellor in Indira Gandhi National Open University (IGNOU) has been further delayed as Human Resource Development (HRD) Minister Kapil Sibal has rejected all three candidates shortlisted by a search-cum-selection committee. The minister said that the selected candidates are not ‘ideal’ for the top post.
The committee that was headed by space scientist K Kasturirangan shortlisted Prof D P Singh, former vice-chancellor of Banaras Hindu University; Prof KK Agarwal, former VC Indraprastha University, Delhi; and Prof Manoj Mishra, VC, Lucknow University.
The ministry has now referred the issue to the President of India, who is Visitor to all central universities, to recommend the next course of action, that is, whether the same search panel should suggest a fresh set of candidates or a new search panel should be constituted.
According to highly placed sources, some very eminent academicians that include IIT directors and vice-chancellors have been purposefully ‘overlooked’ in the short listing process.
The post of IGNOU VC has been vacant since the time Rajasekharan Pillai completed his term in October 2011. The search for his successor has had its fair share of controversy. Well-known agriculture scientist and Rajya Sabha MP M S Swaminathan and NIIT chairman Rajendra Pawar were originally on the search-cum-selection panel, but had to step down following allegations of a conflict of interest by the university staff. The IGNOU Board of Management headed by Pillai had nominated the two to the selection panel formed to search his successor.
As per norms, the two persons nominated by board of management should not be employed in any way by IGNOU.
[Source: Indian Express]
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