‘UGC guidelines are being flouted while picking principals’

Days after a University of Mumbai (MU)-appointed committee disapproved the reappointment of the principal of a south Mumbai college, a university teachers’ association

Days after a University of Mumbai (MU)-appointed committee disapproved the reappointment of the principal of a south Mumbai college, a university teachers’ association has raised concern over selection of principals without following the University Grants Commission (UGC) guidelines.

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In a letter addressed to the university vice-chancellor Suhas Pednekar as well as the undersecretary (education) to the state governor, the Mumbai University and College Teachers’ Association (MUCTA) has pointed that the basic rule of calculating the academic performance indicator (API) of candidates is being flouted and regularly overlooked by the varsity. “The guidelines of calculating API are very clear, but the (principal) selection committees, mainly the vice-chancellor nominees, overlook the conditions and recommend the candidate as per the whims of the college management,” states the letter which was released by MUCTA on February 27. It further states, “There are several cases where the management does not appoint qualified eligible individuals for the principal’s post. The selection committee, despite other qualified candidates, submits a report to the university stating the absence of any other suitable candidate.”

Recently, HT had reported about the principal of a south Mumbai college whose second term at the post was denied by a special inquiry committee put together by the university after the governor’s office received several complaints against the appointment of the principal in the first term itself.

“We request the varsity to identify cases where a NIL report [to prove unavailability of any other eligible candidate] has been submitted by the selection committees despite having necessary options, and send show-cause notices to all the vice-chancellor nominees for flouting UGC guidelines,” added the letter. The teachers association has also suggested the formation of a centralised API committee that would follow the amendments of all UGC norms and could help the committee calculate the API correctly in order to avoid hiring unqualified candidates.