Promotion scam rocks Punjabi University; PUTA raises objection; candidates pointed finger over selection criteria
Kanwar Inder Singh/ royalpatiala.in News/ September 5,2024
Punjabi University and controversies go hand in hand. Not a month has passed when any controversy, scam has not happened in the University’s regime.
September month’s controversy, which rocks Punjabi University is its ‘Promotion Scam”. It’s for the first time that already selected three candidates from Department of Urdu, Sanskrit and Electronics and Communication were called for an online promotion interview under the Career Advancement Scheme (CAS) on September 4,2024, after university working hours. The interview for the post of associate professor was conducted online.
As per available information, Dr Rubina , who is working at Nawab Sher Mohammad Khan Institute of Advanced Studies in Urdu , Persian and Arabic, Malerkotla was called for the associate professor’s interview.
Dr Pushpinder Joshi, assistant professor, department of Sanskrit , Punjabi University attended the interview for the post of associate professor.
Similarly Harjinder Singh has been called from the electronics department, Punjabi University Patiala for the promotion interview. As per available information, “Harjinder Singh is close to a strong cabinet minister, Punjab. The whole process is conducted just to adjust him, promote him” said a faculty member.
A hue and cry was made by the electronics department faculty member after only one particular candidate is called for the interview. Earlier, six assistant professors had given representation to the Dean engineering in February 2024 to promote them under CAS as they have became eligible for it.
Even Punjabi University Teachers Association (PUTA) has taken cognizance of this and written a letter to the vice chancellor, urging him to look into these anomalies.
In a letter to VC, Punjabi University, PUTA said “We, the members of the Punjabi University Teachers Association (PUTA), are writing to express our deep concern and strong objection to the manner in which the recent promotion interviews were conducted under the Career Advancement Scheme (CAS) on the evening of Wednesday, September 4, 2024. While we do not oppose the conduct of promotion interviews in principle, we are deeply concerned by the selective and arbitrary approach adopted by the university in this instance.”
“The decision to conduct promotion interviews for only three teachers, seemingly chosen on a pick-and-choose basis, has raised serious doubts and suspicions among the teaching community. Such an approach is not only unjust but also detrimental to the morale of the faculty. We request clarification on the criteria used to select these three teachers, as the process appears arbitrary and lacks transparency. It is our firm belief that a proper roster system should have been followed to ensure fairness and accountability in the promotion process” said PUTA spokesperson.
“It is crucial to highlight that numerous teachers have applied for promotions and have been waiting for their rightful promotions for several years. The selection of only three teachers for promotion, while others continue to wait indefinitely, is not only unfair but also undermines the trust and confidence that the teaching community places in the university administration” added PUTA.
“Yours sincerely, PUTA strongly urges the university administration to rectify this situation immediately. We demand that all teachers who have applied for promotions and are eligible under the Career Advancement Scheme be promoted without further delay. The university administration must take prompt steps to restore trust and confidence among the teaching staff by ensuring fairness and transparency in all university matters. We hope that our concerns will be addressed promptly, and we look forward to your immediate action on this critical issue” concluded PUTA.
Meanwhile, Punjabi University, VC, KK Yadav, IAS, dean academic affairs Narinder Kaur Multani could not be contacted despite repeated attempts.
Promotion scam rocks Punjabi University; PUTA raises objection; candidates pointed finger over selection criteria . An officer of the university associated with the promotion, selection process asked why only one each person is called for interview said” the promotion, selection schedule is given by the vice chancellor. We have nothing to do but to organize the same.”
