GNDU VC retires, no fresh appointment yet

Taking a jibe at the AAP government in Punjab, Congress member of the Lok Sabha Gurjeet Singh Aujla said it was for the first time in the history of Guru Nanak Dev University that it was being run without a vice-chancellor.

“It has never happened in 55 years of the university’s existence and it could only happen under the Aam Aadmi Party government,” said Aujla. It may be mentioned that vice-chancellor Dr Jaspal Singh Sandhu’s three-month extension had ended on November 16.

Earlier, he was given an extension in August this year. Sandhu was appointed vice-chancellor of GNDU during the Congress government headed by Captain Amarinder Singh in 2017. In 2020, he was given another term as the vice-chancellor. Before joining GNDU as VC, Sandhu was serving as Secretary, University Grants Commission (UGC).

Aujla said the Punjab government claims that it has raised the standard of education but it is far from reality. The state government has also delayed those decisions which should be taken on priority basis. This shows that the government is not serious and is using education only for its own political benefit.

According to Aujla, if the government really wants to work for the welfare of the people, then it should take timely decisions in such matters. The vice-chancellor of an university is an important post and keeping it vacant is not good for the cause of education.

Earlier in August, Punjab government had constituted a three-member committee for the selection of GNDU vice-chancellor. It had also invited applications from interested and eligible candidates. The committee had received at least 45 applications for the post.