AUCT: Make report on unethical appointments in colleges public

A delegation of the Association of United College Teachers (AUCT) Punjab and Chandigarh has written to the Punjab Education Minister regarding the recruitment of ineligible principals and promotions of associate professors in the colleges of the state.

Demanding that a preliminary investigation report of incompetent principals in private aided colleges be made public by the Higher Education Department of the Government of Punjab, members of the AUCT said due to the report not being made public, managements of colleges in the state have given false promotions to their loved ones by flouting the UGC Guidelines 2010.

The matter dates back to 2022 when complainant Prof Tarun Ghai, currently executive body member of the AUCT, had complained to the Secretary of Higher Education and the Minister of Higher Education that in flouting the UGC Guidelines 2010 in the colleges of Punjab, several false promotions and appointments to the post of principal in private aided colleges were made.

A five-member committee was constituted by the Secretary, Higher Education, in August 2022 after the directives of the Minister of Higher Education, Government of Punjab, regarding the recruitment of ineligible principals and promotions of associate professors in the colleges of Punjab and the committee was asked to submit its report within 15 days. “It was asked for, but even after more than two years, the report is not being made public by the Higher Education Department of the Punjab Government,” said Prof Tarun Ghai. He added that he had also written to the Chief Minister of Punjab and the CAG that the Punjab Government has suffered a loss of crores of rupees due to these appointments.

“Many of these principals and associate professors are also being investigated by the Vigilance Bureau. The grant of two of these principals has also been closed for the past 30 months by the then principal secretary, but despite this, why is the report not being made public,” said Ghai.

AUCT general secretary Prof Jaspal Singh said due to the report not being made public, managements of colleges in the state gave promotions by flouting the UGC Guidelines 2010. Professor Ghai said the entire issue has been brought to his attention by meeting Minister of Higher Education Harjot Bains, but not action has been taken yet.