KOLKATA: West Bengal Education Minister Bratya Basu alleged that Governor C V Ananda Bose of not including any academic from the state in his proposed search committee for selecting candidates for the vice chancellor’s position. In addition to the state government and UGC, the governor has submitted lists of three to five names as potential members of the search committee to the Supreme Court, following the court’s directive on September 15.
The minister asserted that the governor’s list overlooks esteemed academics from the state, expressing his belief that the governor intends to appoint individuals who will unquestionably align with his preferences on the search committee. This, according to Basu, reflects a pattern the governor has followed in appointing interim VCs in the past as well as presently.
“On the contrary, the state never discriminates against central higher educational institutions, prestigious educational bodies such as the Indian Statistical Institute. That is why in our search committee we have included an eminent academician of ISI,” Basu added.
Higher education department sources claimed the search committee sent by Raj Bhavan has one representative from West Bengal and that person is IIT Kharagpur Director. “The rest of the proposed names are all outside Bengal,” the sources confirmed.
The state list contains names like former Rabindra Bharati University VC Sabyasachi Basu Roy Choudhury, Saha Institute of Nuclear Physics retired professor Abhijit Chakraborty, ISI professor Abhirup Sarkar among others, sources said.
Confirming the names, Basu said “Yes we have not shown any bias to teachers of state or central organisations in our list.
The Supreme Court division bench is expected to form the search committee after careful consideration of each list sent to it by three parties.
The state had earlier accused Raj Bhavan of sitting over the bill for forming a search committee to facilitate the appointment of VCs in 22 state universities but Raj Bhavan had maintained the state wanted to keep the ruling Trinamool Congress’ hegemony in campuses for political reasons and not aimed at granting real autonomy to the institutions.
The minister asserted that the governor’s list overlooks esteemed academics from the state, expressing his belief that the governor intends to appoint individuals who will unquestionably align with his preferences on the search committee. This, according to Basu, reflects a pattern the governor has followed in appointing interim VCs in the past as well as presently.
“On the contrary, the state never discriminates against central higher educational institutions, prestigious educational bodies such as the Indian Statistical Institute. That is why in our search committee we have included an eminent academician of ISI,” Basu added.
Higher education department sources claimed the search committee sent by Raj Bhavan has one representative from West Bengal and that person is IIT Kharagpur Director. “The rest of the proposed names are all outside Bengal,” the sources confirmed.
The state list contains names like former Rabindra Bharati University VC Sabyasachi Basu Roy Choudhury, Saha Institute of Nuclear Physics retired professor Abhijit Chakraborty, ISI professor Abhirup Sarkar among others, sources said.
Confirming the names, Basu said “Yes we have not shown any bias to teachers of state or central organisations in our list.
The Supreme Court division bench is expected to form the search committee after careful consideration of each list sent to it by three parties.
The state had earlier accused Raj Bhavan of sitting over the bill for forming a search committee to facilitate the appointment of VCs in 22 state universities but Raj Bhavan had maintained the state wanted to keep the ruling Trinamool Congress’ hegemony in campuses for political reasons and not aimed at granting real autonomy to the institutions.