Suhail Bhat
SRINAGAR, Jan 4: The University of Kashmir is making posting of its staff, not on academic or administrative requirements but allegedly for personal convenience affecting the functioning and academics especially at satellite campuses of North and South.
Faculty members from the University’s South and North campuses have raised concerns that key academic, technical, and administrative staff are routinely shifted to the main campus in Srinagar or given additional charges, often without justification, leaving satellite campuses understaffed and struggling.
This year, a faculty member from the Department of Management Studies at the South Campus was given additional charge as coordinator of the NewGen IEDC at the University of Kashmir. A faculty member from the South Campus, who requested anonymity, said the move has directly affected teaching. “We fail to understand why she was given this additional charge when there are dozens of faculty members in the same field available at the main campus,” the faculty member said.
Another faculty member pointed to earlier precedents, alleging that personal convenience has influenced postings. “A few years ago, a faculty member from the Education Department was shifted to the North Campus because his home was closer to that campus,” the faculty member said.
Administrative staff transfers have also drawn criticism. An official at the South Campus said that three years ago, a field assistant of the Landscape Division was shifted to the main campus for three months after submitting an affidavit promising to return. “He never joined back, and the landscape charge at the South Campus was later handed to a non-professional person,” the official said.
Similar issues have been reported in technical divisions. A programmer handling e-governance and IT work at the South Campus was shifted to the IT & SS Division of the main campus several years ago, with no replacement posted since.
A senior faculty member from the North Campus in Baramulla said a programmer there was also shifted to the Examination Block at the main campus for “unknown reasons.” “We fail to understand these shifts when there is already sufficient staff at the main campus compared to satellite campuses,” a faculty member said, adding that employees were recruited specifically for satellite campuses.
Concerns have also been raised over faculty appointments following the abrogation of Article 370. According to a PDF student of Arabic, 15 faculty members from the Leh and Kargil campuses were accepted by the then registrar and vice-chancellor without clear posts at either the main or satellite campuses.
Two Arabic faculty members allegedly failed to join at the Kupwara campus, while two others have remained at the main campus for nearly two years without teaching. “They are drawing salaries of around Rs.1.4 lakh per month without teaching a single class,” a student alleged.
A senior professor from the social sciences faculty said the university’s legal team failed to defend these postings when the matter reached the Central Administrative Tribunal, which granted a stay.
In 2009, an official said, two museum assistants were appointed for the Zoology and Botany museums. The zoology museum assistant, who holds a master’s degree in zoology, was later shifted to the CCAS Museum at Iqbal Library, while the Zoological Museum is now looked after by a Class IV employee, despite CCAS requiring a postgraduate qualification in archaeology.
Faculty members also cited instances where posts were shifted along with individuals, including an assistant professor of biotechnology moved to coordinate CIRI and a professor of biochemistry appointed to head nanotechnology.
Responding to the criticism, Kashmir University Registrar Dr Naseer Iqbal said all transfers and additional charge postings were temporary. “These are all temporary transfers and they have to join back to their original positions,” he said, describing them as “temporary measures”.
On the additional charge given to the South Campus faculty member as coordinator of the NewGen IEDC, Dr Iqbal said it was only an additional responsibility.
Addressing concerns over the 15 faculty members from Leh and Kargil, Dr Iqbal said they had been placed across different campuses. “They have all been placed in different campuses and some have been posted to the Kupwara campus as well,” he said, adding that some matters were under court stay.
Addressing concerns over the Education Department faculty member shifting to the North Campus, Dr. Iqbal rejected suggestions that the move was based on personal convenience. He said the university had to start education-related work at the North Campus and that the posting was a temporary arrangement.
On the remaining allegations related to administrative, technical, and academic postings, the registrar said he would look into the issues raised by faculty members.
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