By: Irfan Ahmad
Srinagar: Authorities have initiated a process for appointment of new vice chancellors in Jammu and Kashmir universities where term of VCs have ended or are nearing completion.
There are around 11 universities in Jammu and Kashmir including two central universities. Several universities are run by the caretakers.
Advisor in-charge Higher Education Department R R Bhatnaghar said a process has already begun to appoint new vice chancellors where the term of previous VCs has ended.
“In last few months, new vice chancellors were appointed at several universities in J&K. Process are also going in other universities,” Bhatnaghar said.
In April 2020, the Centre came up with the gazette notification for the acts that have been amended after the abrogation of article 370 which granted special status to J&K and stripped it into two Union Territories.
According to the new amendments in the University Act of JK, the tenure of Vice Chancellor of Universities is three years.
The government last month appointed Dean Academic Affairs at Kashmir University, Prof Akbar Masood as the new Vice Chancellor (VC) of Baba Ghulam Shah Badshah University (BGSBU) Rajouri in Jammu for a period of three years. The previous Vice Chancellor’s term had ended in last year.
Similarly, the appointment of new VCs for Central University Kashmir and Cluster University Srinagar has begun and the final selection is under process.
The three year term of Prof Manoj K Dhar, vice chancellor of the University of Jammu will end in July this year.
Similarly, the three year term of Prof Talat Ahmad, VC of University of Kashmir will end in August this year.
A senior professor of Kashmir University said while a hunt has started to look for new VC of Jammu University, nothing has been done so far in Kashmir University.
While tenure of VC, Sher-e-Kashmir University of Agricultural Science and Technology (SKUAST) – Kashmir ended in October last year. (KINS)