HPU indulges in recruitment of teachers against UGC norms : Students make startling revelations

Shimla-based Himachal Pradesh University which is the largest education Institution of the state is in thick of controversy over the recruitment of faculty members often being challenged and quashed by the Himachal Pradesh High court.

The Student federation of India(SFI), a left wing pupils organisation made a startling revelation during a media conference on thursday stating that a 13000 page RTI procured by vigilant students found the recruitment process fake and in contravention of the laid down norms.

The students alleged that for the last two years, when the Nation was going through trying times to recover from the Corona epidemic, HPU is indulged in fake recruitment process of the faculty members.

Questioning the track records of HPU for indulging the fraud, the students targeted former former vice-chancellor Sikander Kumar who was elevated by the ruling BJP as member of upper house of parliament and recruited about 280 teachers in a tearing hurry. Students said that recruitment process is also being rigged and supported by the incumbent VC, who himself ineligible as per the rules of the University Grants Commission for the top post of University.

Before exposing the scams, the SFI sought records of about 145 selected teachers through RTI. The students said that that they could not made this expose in time since the Public Information Officer of the University delayed the information . The students alleged that they were not provided information even after the first appeal was made under the Act. It was after second appeal, before State Information Commission, that the students were supplied 13000 pages info.

The Students claimed that after spending around Rs 26000 and taking assistance of aware students, staff and teachers of the university, SFI  activists and lawyers, conducted a through research on some selection parameters of the UGC. Students also claimed that before making these allegations they studied the recruitment and posting rules of  University Grants Commission, minimum qualifications for the appointment of teachers and other academic staff measures for the maintenance of standards in higher education Regulations, 2018.

After scrutinizing the papers of 145 selected assistant professors, associate professors and professors on the basis of unwritten rules collected under the Himachal Pradesh University Act 1971 and the ordinance, students alleged that they could state it with full confidence that the recruitment of faculty members has been made under a well knit fraud and is a open and shut case of corruption.

Students said that about 70 percent ineligible people have been recruited.  ” Although this fraud is very wide but in a nutshell  it pointed out that fraudulently shortlisted or screened selected teachers were given marks to their published research papers who are not in the UGC peer group authorized to review the published paper.

Students giving reference of some paper published in the ”International Journal of Analytical and Experimental Model Analysis, Vol. Xll Issue 1 Jan 2020.’ said that against the total ten marks given on a joint paper published in the same journal 12.6 marks have been given to only one candidate. Students termed it a new low in the higher learning of state adding that such teachers have been selected whose Ph.D. degree is not in conformity with the UGC regulations.

Students also added that in addition to compulsory publication of two research paper there are four other layers qualification so that competent faculty members gets recruited . The Ph.D. degree of the candidate should be through regular mode : Ph.D. thesis to be evaluated by at least two external examiners and open Ph.D. viva-voce of the candidate should have been conducted.  The candidate has presented at least two papers based on his or  her Ph.D. work in conferences or  seminars sponsored or  funded  or supported by the UGC or ICSSR or ESIR or any similar agency . The fulfillment of these conditions is to be certified by the Registrar or the Dean (Academic Affairs) of the University concerned. Students pointed out that candidate who is not even NET qualified and does not have award  PhD, got selected for Associate Professor moreover dean of the University is issuing the NET Exemption certificate. The astonishing fact is that candidates who are not fulfilling the required five conditions were selected.

Without naming the shortlisted candidates SFI said that many were shortlisted in English, Hindi, Microbiology, Bio-Sciences, Chemistry Public Administration. Law, Mathematics, Journalism and Mass Communication, Sociology, Political Science department under fake process after procurring fake experiences. Many teachers were given  certificate of their experience which contradicts their own submission before the shortlisting authorities. Ten 10 marks were given to assistant professors for having 8 and 10 years teaching experience however selected candidates also submitted that they obtained Ph.D. through regular mode. However the teaching experience certificate overlaps with their period of PhD(done on regular basis). The institutes from where these certicates have been procurred, did not issued salary slips or payslips or financial proof, nothing has been shown, only a four-line certificate on a blank paper, which at first glance seems fake.

The students alleged that it is contradictory in itself that the year in which the candidate has been appointed for the post, at that time he did not have the qualification according to the university standards, then how his experience could have been valid.

Disclosing another illicit trade through the Dean’s committee, students alleged that this committee is actually the standing committee of the Academic Council so that it is not possible to get two academic councils in which there are more than 150 members. In emergency and in urgent time there is Dean’s Committee of 12 Deans whose decisions are not final but are passed in the next Academic Council meeting. It is a great surprise that Dr. Satpal Bansal has also continued the process of moving the post of Acharya (Professor) from one department to another. The seat of an Acharya has been taken without the consent of the department concerned in the same manner which is absolutely against the rules.

As per the information gathered under the Right to Information Act, no discussion was held with the Departmental Academic Committee whereas whenever a seat is created, the proposal is prepared in every way from the concerned department on the basis of the workload.

Suspected to be fake on Economically Weaker (EWS) and OBC certificates, after scrutinizing the papers of some selected teachers, it is found that these certificates have been issued to them in a wrong way. The right of the eligible candidate has been snatched away.  The selected teacher in this class is giving in writing that till the application he was working as associate professor in any other institute regularly for the last 7-8 years at pay scale of 15600-39100 – 60006 , then it is matter of investigation how one get the certificates. Shortlisted candidate does not have any of the following assets. Agricultural land more than one hectare in rural areas and 500 square meters of land in urban areas  Rural and urban Residential flat or house of more than 2500 square feet in areas,  Family of Income Tax Payer,  Family of Regular or Contract employee of Central Government, State Government Board, Corporations and Autonomous Bodies and Public Sector Undertaking etc. Biology, public administration, parish education, Sanskrit etc. are under suspicion.

The appointment of teachers is done by the executive body but the Vice Chancellor has misused it personally by illegal means. Through the item as proposed in the EC meeting, the result of the interview of the teachers was taken permission to be declared on the same day. Whereas a very important item and it should be reached to a conclusion only after proper discussion. This was done under the pretext, so that no candidate could get time to go through the judicial process against the fraud of the Vice Chancellor.

Vacancies in the appointments in UIIT: such teachers have been selected whose academic score in telesheet is only 30, 32 and 40 out of 100 and on the other hand talented and experienced candidates have been ignored. The functioning of UIIT is continuously promoting action against administrative and financial rules. For example, the creation of many types of teachers and non-teaching posts, directly after the decision in the academic committee of their department, the Board of Study, ignoring the academic circle and taking them directly to the E.C. Because its director is the teacher of corrupt nature who has got his son admitted in Ph.D. without examination, they added.

Ignorance of Meritorious Candidates: They add that in this entire recruitment process- generally meritorious candidates have been ignored and discouraged.

Earlier, in the recruitment process, 80 and 20 marks were divided in the final selection and in the final merit, 80 marks for academics, experience and publications etc. and 20 marks for interview. But this time, general corruption was encouraged and the selection was done on the basis of 100% interview, they alleged.

Academic experience and publication marks are not considered for the final selection.

SFI demanded that the recruitment process which is being continued by the Acting Vice Chancellor should be stopped immediately and a fair investigation of the recruitments so far should be done by a High Court Judge.

The students claimed that application was made by the selected teacher by preparing false and confusing papers. Pointing out the role of Deans students says that those who are do not have the record of publication of some research paper, so how was the certificate of NET exemption issued . The students also raise the doubt over the role of Screening Committee. They pointed out that after submitting application, first of all, the screening committee examines the documents of the applicant whether it is in accordance with all the rules, otherwise how the ineligible candidates were shortlisted by that committee, they asked.

The Institutions issuing fake experience certificates should be scrutinize on the basis of their financial accounts and transactions whether they had deposited tax, while releasing salary, in the account of the government, etc. as they are giving experience to everyone on the  plain paper. The students alleged that in the whole recruitment process, honest candidates are cheated. The probe should also ensure that after which advertisement the candidate were selected. When was the interview held or U.G.C rules were followed. Questioning the authority of officers for issuing certificates to different category student pointed out, that there is a certain qualification for issuing all types of certificates, whether EWS or OBC. Students said that glitches are happening at the level of dean’s Committee of University. The decisions have been taken which smell of high level of corruption starting from the level of Dean’s Committee.