Recruitment process of V-Cs: Now, search committee to have 5 members instead of 3

Kolkata: The state Higher Education department is planning to usher in a change in the recruitment process of Vice-Chancellors (V-C) of the state universities.

The search committee which is constituted for recruitment of the V-C’s will now have five representatives instead of three.

The move is aimed at keeping a representative from the UGC (University Grants Commission) in the search committee. In the existing three-member search committee there is no UGC representative.

A senior official of the state Higher Education department on conditions of anonymity said that the proposal for the change in the search committee is likely to be placed in the Cabinet meeting scheduled to be held on April 17.

Cabinet’s nod is necessary for accepting the proposal as an ordinance.

Accordingly, the approval of the Governor who happens to be the Chancellor of the state universities will be sought so that the amendment can come into effect.

The state Higher Education department has already taken the approval of the Law department in connection with the draft of the amendment.

The proposal is at present with the state Finance department.

As proposed, the five-member search committee will have a UGC representative, a member nominated by the Governor, a member from the court or senate of the concerned university, a member nominated by the state Higher Education Council and another state government-nominated nominee.