Chennai: Over 40 assistant professors from Annamalai University, recently transferred to government colleges in the state, have come under the scanner of Directorate of Collegiate Education as they are allegedly under-qualified for the post.
Last week, 369 lecturers and assistant professors from Annamalai University were transferred to government colleges on three-year contract basis as they were appointed over and above the sanctioned strength by the earlier administration of the university.
It is learnt that many principals from government colleges didn’t let these assistant professors to join duty as they were holding only PG degrees and in some cases they were under-qualified.
“Some of them got their direct MA degrees in Open University. As per UGC norms since 2007, candidates need to have their PG degree with M.Phil to be eligible for the assistant professors’ post. But many of them joined the posts with only PG degrees and acquired M.Phil degree,” said P. Sivaraman, general secretary, Government College Teachers Manram.
As per the 2010 UGC regulations, the candidates who aspire to assistant professors post must have NET or SLET or Ph.D. qualification. The move which is ill-conceived as recruitment procedures for university teachers and college teachers are entirely different. Teachers Recruitment Board recruiting the college teachers as per the UGC norms, whereas the university acts as a quasi-government body and recruit teachers as per their own procedures, he added.
This move of transfer will severely affect the 1,663 guest lecturers working on a consolidated pay for the last few years. Some professors also fear that their seniority might get affected.
“They should have been transferred to other universities and university constituent colleges, not to government colleges,” says R.Venkatachalam,president, Tamil Nadu Government College Teachers’ Association.
But the directorate of collegiate education gave oral instruction to the principals to allow them to join duty as they were transferred as per the government order.
Director of Collegiate Education K.Sekar said, “We are studying the qualification of the said professors and yet to take a decision. The transfer is only a temporary arrangement as it is only for three years on contract basis. As on when the vacancy arises they will be reverted back to Annamalai University.”
The Tamil Nadu government took over the administration of the Annamalai University in 2013 after financial and administrative irregularities were found in the university.
