Hyderabad: Governor Tamilisai Soundararajan has called for a meeting of vice chancellors of universities on Septem-ber 24 at the Darbara Hall in Raj Bhavan.
The Governor has called for the meeting in her capacity as Chancellor of all universities in the state. Almost all universities in the state are headed by vice chancellors who are IAS officers. The state government has appointed eight IAS officers as caretaker vice chancellors of various universities.
There is a shortage of IAS officers in Telangana, with the result that each officer holds charge of three or four important major departments, as well as now being caretaker vice-chancellors of universities. Vice-chancellors do the day-to-day work of the university while the Chancellor is just a titular head.
There are no full-fledged vice chancellors in eight universities in TS. Princi-pal secretary Arvind Kum-ar has charge of the very important municipal admini-stration and urban development department and is caretaker vice-chancellor of Osmania University in and Mahatma Gandhi University.
Principal secretary, agriculture, cooperation and marketing departments, is caretaker vice-chancellor of B R Ambedkar University. IAS officer V. Anil Kumar, commissioner of commercial taxes and in-charge commissioner of the endo-wment department and member secretary of the State Pollution Control Board, was appointed caretaker vice-chancellor of Potti Sriramulu Telugu University and Telangana University.
Kakatiya University, JNTU Hyderabad, Palamuru University and other universities are also headed by IAS officers.
The Congress and the Bharatiya Janata Party have opposed the appointment of IAS officers as vice-chancellors of various universities.
The BJP has accused the TRS government of ruining the education system and playing with the future of students. The Congress wants to see regular vice-chancellors with full charge instead of caretaker vice chancellors.
Sources said Governor Soundararajan was surprised to discover that eight universities have temporary vice chancellors who have no particular credentials as academics.
