Srinagar, Nov 18, KDC: Barely few days after facing public flak over the interview fiasco related to posts of assistant professors, serious questions have once again been raised after the Kashmir University authorities on Monday issued an interview notice for posts of assistant professor just two days before the scheduled date for the interview.
According to Notice issued by Deputy Registrar, Recruitment, KU, on 18-11-2024, “it is notified for information of concerned candidates that the interview for the following subjects (Geography/Commerce) has been fixed on 20-11-2024 at the Vice-Chancellor’s Secretariat, University of Kashmir, Hazratbal, Srinagar.”
“Call letters have been sent to the shortlisted candidates at their respective email addresses mentioned by them in their application forms,” the notice, uploaded on the KU website today, reads.
Candidates have alleged “total malfunctioning” of the University, saying “notifying interviews just two days prior to the scheduled date is not only questionable, but unconstitutional and illegal too.”
“Normally all candidates are given a week’s time to appear before the interview committee. But here the KU authorities are giving merely 48 hours for candidates to appear in the interview. This raises serious questions about the functioning of the University,” said the aggrieved candidates, wishing anonymity.
The candidates said normally seven to 10 days are given to the candidates in advance before the interview notice is issued.
“Some candidates happen to be in-service candidates and have to apply for leave or permissions to appear in the interview. Many have to schedule tickets which are presently very costly on the Srinagar sector,” they said, adding that “it is such malfunctioning of the University which brings it in bad light in the eyes of the public.”
As per the KU Act, even members of selection committee have to be informed 10 days in advance about the same, and similar is the case with the shortlisted candidates.
Alleging total violation of rules in holding the interviews hastily at the fag end of VC’s tenure, the candidates urged the Chief Minister Omar Abdullah and Education Minister Sakina Masood Itoo to intervene and “tame the University’s mismanagement.”
Sources in the University told news agency Kashmir Dot Com that they were also surprised to see the VC holding interviews in last five months of her tenure. “This is unprecedented,” said one former KU teacher. “Normally VCs refrain from holding interviews and other policy decisions in last six months due to ethical considerations. But here the University is certainly showing some unusual urgency, which is bound to raise questions about its intent.”
It is pertinent to mention here that only last week, the KU postponed interviews for various posts of assistant professors at the eleventh hour, citing “administrative issues.” The aggrieved candidates raised a hue and cry alleging mismanagement at KU. The fresh interview notice issued just two days before the scheduled date of interviews has further raised doubts about the fairness of the selection process, the sources added. (KDC)
