Demand for cancellation of appointments of assistant professors made by P. Kusuma Kumari 

'Selection criterion based on efficiency in teaching and expertise in the concerned subject’

Agitation is being held in support of those who were not selected

Anantapur: Against the background of over a month-long agitation, spearheaded by the Joint Action Committee, involving student unions and aggrieved parties in the Sri Krishna Devaraya University appointments imbroglio, its Vice-Chancellor P. Kusuma Kumari told “The Hindu” that the agitation by a section of the students in support of the candidates who were not selected in the interviews for the appointment of 29 assistant professors, was unwarranted.

She said that the aggrieved persons were silent for nearly eight months from the time of notification in February 2009 to till interviews in September 2009.

The Vice-Chancellor clarified that the criterion for selection is efficiency in teaching and expertise in the concerned subjects and not the working tenure in the university on ad-hoc basis.

She added that the aggrieved candidates failed to prove themselves in the interview. The selection committee took only the merit of the candidates into consideration, while strictly adhering to the rule of reservation. The appointments notification was a global affair with candidates from overseas including Taiwan and China, attending the interviews.

Support for V-C

Commenting on the demand for cancellation of the whole exercise of appointments of associate professors, the Vice-Chancellor said that the exercise involved an expenditure of over Rs. 30 lakh and it could not be repeated on flimsy grounds.

She hoped that the agitators would see reason and protect the interests of the university. While the Joint Action Committee is agitating for removal of the Vice-Chancellor and scrapping of the appointments made by her, another section of students under the banner of SC/ST Students’ Welfare Association and the Madiga Students’ Federation launched a counter agitation in support of the Vice-Chancellor and praising her for her dynamic leadership to the university.

Both the agitating sections were engaged in demonstrations, rallies and relay hunger strikes. The issue is still in the court.