Is Manipur dearth of qualified candidates for Assistant Professor?

Wahengbam Rorrkychand *

Manipur Public Service Commission (MPSC) Building in Imphal in March 2013 : Pix - Deepak Oinam

The recent announcement of shortlisted candidates for the recruitment of Assistant Professors posts seems to cause a heavy jolt to aspiring candidates who have painstakingly earned their PhD degree and cleared NET/SLET.

For the recruitment of 280 Assistant Professors in twenty seven disciplines in Government Colleges of Manipur, the Manipur Public Service Commission (MPSC) has short-listed a total number of 430 candidates on December 3, 2015.

The government of Manipur notified for the selection of Assistant Professors last year October after a gap of gap of seven years (last was conducted in the year 2008). However, the ratio of candidates for one post is (1:1.54 in average) caused much disheartening to hundreds of qualified candidates who have been waiting for the recruitment notification.

Besides the ratio (1:1.54) against each discipline raise the eyebrows of many; posing questions to academicians and aspiring candidates- if the state is actually facing shortage of qualified candidates for the post of Assistant Professors?

The number of candidates shortlisted for one post in most of the Universities/Colleges/ Institutes in India is 1:8-12, according to UGC Regulation 2010 for screening of Assistant Professors. Like in Manipur University, the ratios for selection to Assistant Professors are generally 1:8-12.

It is eminent that the recruitment process for posts was done in accordance with University Grant Commission (UGC) and only those who have cleared NET/SLET or awarded Ph.D in accordance with UGC regulation 2009 are eligible to apply.

However, disheartening to the candidates the Commission restricted the number of candidates for one post of Assistant Professors to less than or equal to 2 (two) in every discipline.

Another theory is that, there must be sufficient numbers of qualified candidates holding Ph.D degree and cleared NET/SLET conducted by UGC/CSIR within the 7 (seven) years gap of recruitment?

If the second theory holds true, then it is believe that MPSC is not giving equal opportunity to reasonable number of qualified candidates for final selection of Assistant Professors (as mentioned in UGC Regulation 2010, Ordinance 19)? Is there any reason behind this partial behaviour?

It may be recalled that the distribution of shortlisted candidates for interview for the post different posts of MAHUD and Food Security Officers which were conducted by the Commission recently were 1:3 and 1:3.7 respectively.

According to MPSC notification dated 20.07.2015, the candidates will be shortlisted for the post based on written exam consisting of General Studies and concern Subjects. Though the final recruitment will be based on academic score (50 marks from graduation and post graduation) and personal interview (50 marks). However, the Commission failed to mention the cut-of-marks in the screening test for different categories; and tentative number of candidates to be short-listed for every post.

One of the candidate (name not mentioned on request), who had applied for the post said, "one does not get a Ph.D degree easily, actually it is earned; earned through hard work, perseverance, patience, investing good amount of time. Is there any question of justification if the MPSC limited the candidates to two for the personality test? In a nutshell, earning a Ph.D degree is not a child's play as what the high profile officials involved in framing the rules of screening think."

He also added that most of students who are pursuing Ph.D in Manipur aspire to become a faculty member in Government Colleges. A reasonable proportion would have given equal opportunity to many well qualified youths and it would have helped MPSC in hunting the fittest candidate in return. The people want an answer from the Government whether justification is done to the qualified youths or not?

Asking that why such a high profile job selection has been made too surreptitious and opaque, another candidate alleged that there might be something cooking undercover which common man can not notice.

The Government of Manipur and MPSC need to answer the masses and rectify any abnormalities present in the selection procedure, she demanded.