DM University's fate remains uncertain
Source: Chronicle News Service
Imphal, October 07 2022:
Though established with high hope after Manipur Legislative Assembly passed 'The Dhanamanjuri University Bill, 2017' on August 3, 2017 and subsequently promulgated as an Act since August 6, 2018, the fate of Dhanamanjuri University remains uncertain mainly due to its inability to appoint requisite staff on its own.
Unable to appoint teaching and non-teaching staff under the DM University Act, 2017, the university is running with teachers and staffers of five constitute colleges of the varsity at present.
This has put DM University in a sticky situation where it could not stand on its own and compete with other universities.
As per information received here, DM University is unable to appoint staff on its own mainly due to conflict between university authority and teaching and other staff currently utilised by the varsity.
The ongoing conflict is the main reason behind non-declaration of results of the DPC conducted for appointment of 88 teachers through a notification issued by the university on December 19, 2020.Teachers currently serving as faculty members of the university are demanding that the results of the DPC should not be declared until they are absorbed.
Amidst this situation, the university engages guest lecturers from time to time to teach students instead of resolving the issue.
Apart from this, allowing newly appointed pre-PhD scholars, who are yet to complete course, to take classes as per recent notification of the registrar showcased that the university is running without conforming to its own guidelines.
Pre-PhD scholars who entered through qualifying entrance test are yet to clear NET or SLET and taking classes by them indeed is another clear example of DM University's inability to follow its own guidelines.
Dhanamanjuri University Act, 2017 clearly mentions that teachers serving under the department of higher education including those of the five constitute colleges shall apply freshly if they wish to become teachers of the university while teachers who could not be appointed can be utilised at other government colleges.
However, time to time arrangement for running the university while sidelining the existing norm has degraded the prestige and quality of Dhanamanjuri.
Unlike college, university has more diversified curriculum and focuses more on research and guide students towards acquisition of new knowledge.
However, notifications issued on July 28, 2021 and August 20, 2021 said that only 94 out of around 380 teachers of the five constitute colleges of DM University are eligible to become research guide.
If the government fails to look into the existing issues timely and appoint requisite teachers so that it can follow its own guidelines, the fate of DM University will remain uncertain.