Bihar edu dept stops salary of BRABU VC, pro-VC; FUTAB terms it ‘transgression’

The Bihar government’s education department has stopped the salary of the in-charge vice-chancellor (VC) and pro-VC of Babasaheb Bhimrao Ambedkar Bihar University (Muzaffarpur). It also stopped the operation of its bank accounts “till the completion of the financial audit of the university”.

Veer Kunwar Singh University (Ara) VC Shailendra Kumar Chaturvedi holds the additional charge of Bhimrao Ambedkar University since March this year, even as the university has Ravindra Kumar as its pro-VC.

The order was issued hours after both did not turn up for the pre-scheduled review meeting called by the additional chief secretary (ASC) (education), KK Pathak.

In the order issued by education secretary Baidyanath Yadav, he stressed the need to streamline and regularise examinations and results and ordered clearing the backlog.

“There was no information about the steps taken to clear the backlog of exams and streamline sessions, as per the gazette notification. The meeting was called for an overall review, but in the absence of VC and pro-VC, it could not be completed,” the order from the education department read.

“The PowerPoint presentation sent by the university reflects that there has been no inspection of universities and colleges under it,” it further reads.

Yadav has further written that the department has decided to get the financial audit of the university done.

“Under these circumstances, the operation of its bank accounts has been withheld and till further orders, the salary of both in-charge VC and pro-VC is stopped. They are also restrained from exercising their financial powers,” said the order, a copy of which has been sent to the district magistrate-cum-treasury officer, registrars, and financial advisors of the concerned universities.

Raj Bhawan had given an additional charge of Bhimrao Ambedkar University Chaturvedi in March after the term of Hanuman Prasad Pandey ended. However, it was a purely temporary arrangement and Chaturvedi had been directed not to take any policy decision without the approval of the chancellor.

Meanwhile, the Federation of University Teachers’ Association of Bihar (FUTAB) has criticised the education department’s order saying that the salary and pension payment in the universities is stuck for three months and the department should first look into it. It is merely a tactic to embarrass the person holding the highest academic position, it said.

“Stopping the salary of a VC is not in the domain of the ACS. If the ACS calls a meeting of the VCs, that is also against the protocol. If the ACS has any issue, he can only recommend it to the chancellor through the education minister. VCs are answerable to the chancellor. We have also apprised the governor regarding this,” said FUTAB working president KB Sinha.

Maintaining that the education department officials are deliberately transgressing the autonomy of universities for publicity despite Chancellor’s expressed views on this, FUTAB wrote that VCs being summoned by an official was highly objectionable.

“If the VCs do not respond, the department cannot force them. A VC can be called by only three authorities – chancellor, chief minister and education minister. This is high time the chief minister and chancellor finally draw the line of demarcation between the chancellor’s office and the state education department,” FUTAB general secretary Sanjay Kumar said.

Kumar also reviewed the progress on the choice-based credit system (CBCS) and semester system for a smooth transition to the new education policy (NEP), as Bihar has been late on this count. “NEP also offers a three-year degree and the fourth year is for those who deserve and want to go in for higher education,” he added.

On Wednesday, Governor Rajendra Vishwanath Arlekar, who also is the chancellor of state universities, held a review meeting with all university VCs and asked them to streamline the academic session and clear backlog of post-graduate and under-graduate exams backlog, smoothen certificate distribution and ensure timely payment of retirement dues to teachers and employees.