Gujarat University Vice-Chancellor (V-C) Neerja Gupta has formed the university Board of Management (BoM) for fast and efficient decision-making and smooth administration of the varsity.
To enrich the top decision-making body with more academic diversity, the V-C has included Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) V-C Shantishree Dhulipadi Pandit and Indian Institute of Management, Ahmedabad (IIMA) Director Bharat Bhasker among the 11 members of the BoM.
However, many people are surprised at the fact that GU has formed the board with only 11 members even as 6 seats in the top body remain vacant. Many say, this is due to the V-C’s haste in holding aloft GU as the first university to form BoM.
Moreover, in the BoM, five members are females and six males. The state education department has mandated at least 33% of the nominated members in the decision-making bodies be women candidates.
In the EC too, 11 members have been appointed while 11 seats are vacant. Despite not having formed the complete BoM and EC, the varsity bosses have reportedly sent the newly formed committees to the education department for approval.
While varsity insiders said the majority of the members with political influence had been removed, except BJP MLA Kaushik Jain in the BoM, those in the know of things said apart from Jain, Bhasker and Pandit were also considered close to BJP-RSS and Gupta was also a right-wing academic.
“While Bhasker and Pandit’s academic credentials cannot be debated, the BoM already looks more right-leaning,” observed the member.
He said, GU had kept many appointments vacant for the education department to step in and fill them to avoid controversies.
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