Lucknow University has three VCs too many, not one to hold fort

LUCKNOW: A piquant situation prevails in Lucknow University, headed at present by three vice-chancellors-designated SB Nimse, the outgoing GB Patnaik and the acting VC, AK Sengupta.
Admission director of the university RR Singh resigned recently citing uncertainty in the university's administration as the reason. The development comes at a time when the admission process for the new academic session is about to begin.
Well-connected with the Congress, SB Nimse's appointment was cleared by the search committee. Hailing from Maharashtra, Nimse, who is a mathematician, was till now vice-chancellor of the Swami Ramanand Teerth Marathwada University, Vishunpuri, Nanded, Maharashtra. He has, however, expressed inability to join before July.
This prompted the government to give two months' extension to GB Patnaik, a retired state official, who was appointed on an interim arrangement for a period of six months from November to April. But Patnaik too is on a leave, and is said to be away in his hometown in Orissa due to illness of his mother.
The void thus created is filled by acting vice-chancellor, AK Sengupta, who is in effect responsible for running the university. But, his hands are tied too as being an acting V-C he cannot take any policy decision. The lack of authority also results in administrative problems and creates uncertainty, as cited by the admission director who resigned.
Within the academic circle, the appointment of Nimse as new VC created a flutter. The post given to him is being seen as a reward for his close relationship with a powerful cabinet minister of Congress in Maharashtra. Giving credence to this belief is his bio-data available on the Internet. While the CV shows hardly any academic distinction, Nimse has never been appointed even as professor, a prerequisite for becoming a vice-chancellor under the University Grants Commission regulation 2010.
The provision is made because under the State University Act only a person with a substantive position of professor can participate in the selection committee for professors. By virtue of his post, Nimse will chair the selection committee of professor, a post he has never held. UGC Regulation 2010 provided a transparent process for selection of Vice Chancellors but state Government has not implemented it in anticipation of the dilution of discretionary power of the Chancellor in the selection process.
Thus, the appointment of Nimse as vice-chancellor is indicative of the falling standard as this post has in the past been held by eminent academicians like Acharya Narendra Dev, MB Lal and able administrators like Mustafi and G P Pandey.
The members of the selection committee were Justice Vineet Saran, Mushirul Hasan former vice-chancellor of Jamia Milia Islamia, nominee of Lucknow University Executive Council and Narendra Jadhav nominee of the Chancellor. Vineet Saran opposed the name of Patnaik on the plea that U.G.C regulation 2010 (which is not adopted by UP Government till date and appointed VC Goyal an IPS officer in 2012) provided 10 years professorship as must. The rule was relaxed in the case of Nimse, who has also never been professor.
His bio-data says clearly that he was principal in Ahmadnagar (2004-2008) and vice-chancellor (2008-13) so his total experience as principal and VC is of less than 10 years, which is against the UGC norm. His name was proposed by Narendra Jadhav member planning commission because when he was VC university of Pune, Nimse was principal at Ahmadnagar. All this is attributed to his links with a powerful Congress minister of Maharashtra.
Nimse has published only 21 research papers and guided six students for Ph.D which is a score poorer than many teacher of Lucknow University. There were various candidates who sent in their bio data for the VC's post including Radheyshyam Yadav who served as pro-vice chancellor of Lucknow University and retired recently, Dr Sher Ali, FNA, FNASc and FASC are far superior in academic achievements.
As compared to Nimse, other candidates for the LU V-C post were PC Mishra of Indraprastha University, Delhi, who has published 85 papers and guided 21PhD scholars; Pratap Bhanu Bhadauria of IIT Kharagpur who has published 117 papers and guided 13 PhD; Akhtar Haseeb of AMU who has published 366 papers and guided 16 PhD scholars; BC Tripathi of JNU, who has published 68 papers and guided six scholars and Rajesh Singh of BHU who published paper 140 and guided 24 scholars.
In the absence of transparent process the selection of vice-chancellor is highly subjective and much depends on the Governor/Chancellor and for this reason 5 vice-chancellors Joshi appointed are from Rajasthan alone.
There is widespread concern regarding falling standards in higher education in the country and on several platforms Prime Minister urged various bodies to take steps in this direction. The All India University (AIU) conference held in Gorakhpur recently was attended by vice-chancellors from all over the country and addressed by Governor B L Joshi who also reiterated the necessity to reform the academic atmosphere of the campuses.
But at the ground level the situation is deteriorating. The premier university of UP, the Lucknow University, is suffering from ad hoc-ism and mediocrity.
The appointment of GB Patnaik was hailed within academic circles. After assuming charge Patnaik initiated reform in administration as well as in academics. Classes were held regularly as he started the mechanism of daily monitoring, holding two years' convocation together, initiated schemes for welfare of disadvantaged section of the students and despite obstructions from teacher Unions, he was able to hold exams from 1-3-2012.