Host of issues await new Special Chief Secretary for Higher Education Chitra Ramachandran's attention

Hyderabad: Appointment of vice-chancellors, constituting executive councils, appointment of faculty members to the State universities are among a series of issues awaiting newly appointed Special Chief Secretary for Higher Education, Chitra Ramachandran's attention.

According to sources, the immediate attention that needed is to constitute the ECs.

Speaking to The Hans India, a senior official from the State Higher Education Department (SED) said, "Several State universities are running without vice-chancellors. This was despite the University Grants Commission (UGC) time and again warning and insisting to appoint regular vice-chancellors."

The normal procedure is to form search committees to finalise new VC much ahead of the out-going VC's tenure. In turn, the universities will have a regular head to run the administration and lead the academics without interruption. The UGC has been insisting on following a procedure to ensure only academicians are appointed as the heads of the universities.

However, after much dilly-dallying the State government had appointed search committees for the appointment of vice-chancellors to Sri Potti Sriramulu Telugu University, Osmania University, Kakatiya University, Jawaharlal Nehru Technological University, Hyderabad (JNTU-H), Hyderabad, Satavahana University, Mahatma Gandhi University, Nalgonda Dr B R Ambedkar Open University, Telangana University and Palamuru University.

But, "It was all most five months elapsed after constituting the search committees, so far there was no word about the appointment of new VCs. The State universities continue to run with part-time VCs under IAS officials," said another official from the Osmania University.

That apart, the appointment of faculty members at the State universities has been pending for more than two years, after the State government had given a green signal for the appointments.

"Twice there was a change of the education ministers. Similarly, thrice there was a change in the case of higher education secretaries. But, the appointment of faculty members in the State universities remained pending. This despite the UGC had earlier asked the States to complete the process within six months.

That apart, sources in the SHED said that about seven entities have expressed their interest to start private universities in Telangana, following the State government passing the private universities Bill. However, the file related to taking a final call on the issue remained pending.

These are only a few among several issues waiting for the intervention of the State government as part of streamlining the higher education in the State, the sources said.