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The postponement of election of faculty deans at Panjab University (PU) has left varsity teachers, whose cases of promotion under the Career Advancement Scheme (CAS) are pending, disappointed.
Besides presiding over faculty meetings, deans are also the members of committees for CAS promotions of teachers. Currently, around 150 such cases are pending at PU.
The development prompted the Panjab University Teachers Association (PUTA) to write to vice-chancellor (V-C) Raj Kumar, demanding that the elections be held immediately.
Condemning the postponement of the elections, PUTA said the same would further delay the already pending CAS promotions of a large number of teachers — who, the body pointed out, have been waiting for long, apart from disrupting other academic and research activities.
“It is a matter of grave concern that such an action on your part reflects a completely indifferent and casual approach, so unbecoming of the Head of an institution, who is supposed to ensure an efficient administration, without any vested interests,” PUTA wrote to the V-C.
Speaking of the latest developments, PU senator Parveen Goyal said CAS promotion was the basic right of all teachers, adding, “Due to the absence of deans, there is a great loss in terms of academics, performance and grades. Pending CAS promotion should happen promptly without any delay for encouragement, motivation and confidence of our teachers.”
PU registrar YP Verma, meanwhile, said the authorities are equally concerned about the CAS promotions of teachers, adding, “The decision regarding the CAS promotions will be taken soon.”
Notably, the varsity has been functioning without faculty deans for nearly two years now. The one-year term of various faculty deans had ended in January 2021 without the selection of their successors — since there was no senate and syndicate in place at that time because of the repeated delays in their election process due to the Covid pandemic.
The election of deans, earlier scheduled to be held on December 3, were deferred by PU, after the Punjab and Haryana high court asked the varsity to add faculty members above the age of 60 in the voter list for the election of faculty deans. This time, PU had decided not to include professors above the age of 60 in the list of ex-officio members of their respective faculties.
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