‘Norms flouted for CPM man’s wife to be on list’

T’puram:

Save Education Campaign Committee

has petitioned higher education minister

R Bindu

against the alleged attempt for a backdoor appointment in

Kannur University

. The committee said

Dr Priya Varghese

, wife of CM’s private secretary

KK Ragesh

, was shortlisted ‘illegally’ for interview to the post of an associate professor in Kannur University.

The minimum eligibility for the post of an associate professor is a PhD degree with eight years’ experience at the assistant professor-level. Varghese joined as an assistant professor in Sri Kerala Varma College in 2012. While working, she availed three years’ leave under the FDP programme for completing her Ph. D, the petition claimed.

Quoting UGC Regulations 2018, Clause 3.9, the committee said the period taken by the candidates to acquire MPhil and/or PhD degree cannot be considered as teaching/research experience for appointment to teaching posts.

Further, the period of active service spent on pursuing research degree simultaneously with teaching assignment without taking any kind of leave shall be counted as teaching experience for the purpose of direct recruitment/promotion. The period of leave taken for pursuing research degree, i.e. for acquiring PhD, shall not be counted as teaching experience for the purpose of direct recruitment/promotion, it noted.

“She also served as the director, student services for two years in Kannur University from 2019, which also cannot be considered as teaching/research experience. She cannot claim more than 4 years’ of teaching or research experience and thus she is blatantly ineligible to apply for the post,” the committee said.