Teachers’ salary withheld, univ exam results in limbo

BALURGHAT: Dakshin Dinajpur University is facing a significant administrative crisis as an alleged conflict between the Vice-Chancellor and the temporary Registrar has resulted in guest professors not receiving their salaries for the months of July and August. In response, the affected teachers have declared that they will not upload the exam marks on the university portal, potentially disrupting the examination process and delaying results. This situation has raised concerns about the future of the students, as delayed results may affect their academic progress.

The university has about 18 guest professors across three departments. Temporary Registrar Kaushik Majhi had earlier written to the higher education department with queries about these professors after taking office in May. Without receiving any response, Majhi decided to halt the professors’ salaries. When protests began in July, Vice-Chancellor Debabrata Mitra intervened and authorised the payment of salaries. However, the Registrar did not participate in the process and the salary issue persisted. The professors, frustrated by the continued withholding of their pay, have been on strike for the past week. Professor Manmatha Kar, a guest professor, expressed his dismay, saying: “We are not being paid for the work we have done and this is causing us financial distress. Our reputation is also at stake. We will not upload the exam marks until we receive our due payments. The university authorities have been informed in writing.”

In response, Vice-Chancellor Mitra has placed the responsibility squarely on the Registrar. He directed Majhi to provide a response by September 5 regarding the teachers’ salary issue but no reply has been received. “I will not proceed with the payment process unless the Registrar provides his opinion,” Mitra stated. He also mentioned plans to forward the matter to the Chancellor (Governor of West Bengal) and the state education department in search of a solution.

Meanwhile, Registrar Majhi maintained that he is “looking into the matter.” With both sides locked in a standoff, the uncertainty surrounding the situation continues to grow.