Chancellor sets up panel to work out modalities for inter-varsity transfers

The four-member committee is headed by Prof Parmendra Kumar Bajpai, vice-chancellor of the Jai Prakash University, Chapra. Other members include the director of higher education, registrar of the Pataliputra University and chairman of the Bihar State University Service Commission (BSUSC).

In view of growing number of applications requesting inter-university transfer of teachers, the Chancellor’s Secretariat has constituted a committee to work out the modalities in keeping with the provisions laid down in the Bihar State Universities’ Act, 1976.

Bihar Lok  Bhavan, the house of Chancellor of the state universities (https://governor.bih.nic.in/)

The four-member committee is headed by Prof Parmendra Kumar Bajpai, vice-chancellor of the Jai Prakash University, Chapra. Other members include the director of higher education, registrar of the Pataliputra University and chairman of the Bihar State University Service Commission (BSUSC).

A notification to the this effect was issued by Gopal Meena, secretary to the Governor (Chancellor), on April 15, and it was made public on April 17.

“The committee will deliberate on the issue in its entirety and submit its recommendations within a maximum period of one month from the date of notification so that its recommendations may be considered by the Statute Committee and a final decision is this regard can be taken,” says the notification.

There have been innumerable instances of teachers with clout managing to get inter-university transfer, in some cases twice over a period of few years, through the Raj Bhawan after getting favourable reports from the transferring and transferee universities, but disregarding its impact on reservation roster, seniority and above all, the teaching.

However, the present Governor Lt Gen (Retd) Syed Ata Hasnain has now called for a holistic view on such transfers in accordance with the legal position, roster rules and ground realities.

“Despite the legal position, a large number of applications for inter-university transfers of teachers are received in the Chancellor’s Secretariat from time-to-time-apparently in pursuance of the powers vested in the Chancellor under Section 9 (7) (i) of the BSU Act, 1976 on one or other grounds and as per the hitherto established procedure, a no-objection certificate is asked -- both from the transferring university and the transferee university,” says the Lok Bhawan notification.

The notification has underlined that It has been observed that the NOCs issued by the universities fail to mention the impact of such transfers on the roster of reservations and its likely implications on present incumbency position and future reservation category-wise vacancies, besides its likely implications for student-teacher ratio/strength and the seniority position of the teacher of a particular department/subject in a university.

“In view of the above position, resulting from such transfers, a threadbare and holistic view at the level of the Chancellor’s Secretariat has become imperative in order to consider every and all aspects of the matter in its entirety “so that any likely infringement of the provisions of the Act or the provisions of the Bihar Reservation Act is averted and all major stake-holders are pro-actively and extensively consulted before finalising any Statute to regulate it,” the notification said.

This exercise of appointment to various teaching posts in a university is done treating a department/subject of a university as a separate and distinct cadre and the roster of reservation is applied accordingly while undertaking recruitment/s and appointment/s.

On the other hand, recruitment to the various non-teaching posts is made treating one single university as a separate and distinct cadre with only intra-university transfer obligations/considerations.

There are 13 state universities governed by the BSU Act, 1976, besides the PU, the AKU, the BASU and the BAU-all of which are regulated by their own and separate Acts passed by the State Legislature.