Budding Malwares in Manipur University

Sh. Ajit *

Students at Manipur University on June 4 2019

Manipur University, one of the eminent place for higher education, is really in a volatile condition. Multiple issues are on picture now.

Just after the expression of discontents by some research scholars, by locking office-rooms of relevant authorities, for their almost two year long pending university fellowship, university contractual staffs also held sit in protest demanding to give them priority in the present regular recruitments.

It may be reminded that pending with controversies in disbursing the scholarship for research scholar is not a new one but it has becomes a cyclic problem in this university.

Meanwhile, a high level committee of the university held meeting yesterday (June 07 2019) on different agenda and issues including new academic calendar, new recruitments and admission, new UGC guidelines for central universities.

After a number of cancellation of recruitment advertisement, the new advertisement just published a couple of days before is also in unhealthy position, is likely to be cancelled regarding UGC Guidelines of Faculty Recruitment, 2018, which will really hamper the heart of many aspirants. It will bring a lot of irregularities in stabilizing normalcy in Manipur University.

On the other side, the University is facing a huge problem financially in settling accounts in connection with Indian Science Congress, over-expenditure in travels of the former VC, fund deficit regarding some UGC-JRF scholars whose tenure is on the minimal phase when funding system was converted to DBT (Direct Benefit Transfer).

When DBT was effected, the University undermines the UGC instruction and goes on its traditional mode of disbursing fellowship that created denial and unacceptable to UGC.

Within this few months or a year, the university had recruited several contractual positions, opened new departments, increased student intake without sanctioning the minimum post and infrastructure, on which denial of UGC is very much expected.

At present, UGC is not ready to recognise those Guest Faculties as bonafide one whose recruitment was not done by following UGC criteria, like proper advertisement in media, UGC-NET qualifying, presence of VC nominees in selection process.

This is a big question and a big issue to those who were selected in response to the departmental requirements without fulfilling these criteria.

Therefore, those who were selected in compliance with UGC norms and those who were not will give another assignment to authorities.

These are really multiple small but issues which need to work out at the earliest. Otherwise, it may kick off the second episode of crisis in Manipur University