Nisar Sultan Lone
This is not exactly in response to the write up, “unaddressed concerns at KU” published in GK, but the piece surely set me in motion to take up my pen and put down my views on the issue. Just few months ago, history has been created by Prof. Nilofer Khan joining as the first female vice chancellor of the University of Kashmir. It unequivocally is a proud privilege as women have been doing well and have excelled in every sphere of life. Before making my point, I would like to share my own experience with Prof. Khan. In the year 2017, I had applied for pursuing Ph D through faculty improvement programme (FIP), a fellowship which was given by University Grants Commission (UGC) New Delhi for in-service college/university teachers. Those days Prof. Khan was Dean College Development Council (DCDC) at the university. Mercifully, regulations regarding the fellowship were redesigned in the way that earlier the case file was routed through Board of Research Studies (BORS) meeting (and those days the meeting used to happen once in a blue moon) to UGC. But now DCDC was given the authority to send the case directly to UGC and after the award of the fellowship, get it done in the BORS. And because of her disposition, her benevolence, and magnanimity she made things done so smoothly and swiftly and my case was recommended to the commission on time. The fascinating and engrossing part of the story is that I was the last person to get the fellowship since then the fellowship has been stopped because of the expiry of twelfth plan. Had my case delayed by only a few days I would not have been able to take advantage of the fellowship and would not have been able to complete my doctorate. Anyways, I wanted to start by putting my heart out and sharing this story just to make you familiar with the personality of Prof. Nilofar Khan.
Now coming to the write up, I do agree that there might be some unaddressed matters in question on the campus, but we need to understand the human limitations and give the vice chancellor some more time. After all she doesn’t have a magic stick by which all the knots will be untangled in a single shot, that too in a third world setup where heterogeneity in the minds hammers the coherence of the system and results in breeding mediocrity. The installation of bio-metric machines for teachers to mark their attendance might have mortified the feelings of unfeigned teachers, as if a question mark has been put on their sincerity towards their job but it can be accepted positively. Though I am a witness to the fact that some teachers at the university are committed, who work wholeheartedly for the welfare of students, coming very early and leaving their offices late in the evening, the fact could not be generalised too.
I have a good number of friends working in the varsity, quite often we interact and keep on discussing many things about our profession, sometimes we claim to be born teachers who have joined this prophetic profession by choice. But then why such issues like seniority, hierarchy and getting an administrative position surface on the top. If we are teachers by choice and teaching is our passion then it doesn’t require any rocket science to fathom that our natural instinct will be otherwise, and will try to run away from additional/administrative positions. Undeniably we can also contribute more on such positions but our primary duty is teaching and if we are genuinely passionate about our teaching, then such issues should not come up. Also, any head of the institution cannot please everyone, we should be modest enough to understand our role and try to contribute optimally in our capacity and potential for the amelioration of our society in general and our institution in particular.
Now, what has been achieved over the period Prof. Khan has taken up the reigns of the university. A friend of mine working on a faculty position in the commerce department of the university sounds gratified with the working of Prof. Khan. The interviews for the promotion of teachers which was a long pending due to most of them had been conducted on priority. This certainly gives us a hint that Prof. Khan is well acquainted with the problems of the teachers which they have been facing over a period of time. Just after few days of taking over as the vice chancellor she took cognisance of the problems faced by the research scholars and issued an order that Departmental Research Committee meetings (DRC) and the Board of Research Studies meetings (BORS) will be held regularly which is a very big positive step towards the welfare of the most deprived community – research scholars of the university. There have been times when such meeting (BORS) would not happen for years together. Some dean researches have not held a BORS in their entire tenure of three years, so then what is the fun of putting such (senior) people on these positions.
But still, I do profess that there are pending issues like making a bold decision about the seniority issue, offering administrative positions to those teachers who can genuinely do good and are proficient to deliver in the right perspective. The matters should be solved without any fear or favor. Also, the university is catering almost all colleges of the valley. A student coming from a far-flung area of Kupwara or Baramulla or Anantnag, who comes for resolution of a small issue in connection with his admission or examination; after investing his time, energy and money he is not redressed at the university. There is a famous phrase ‘come tomorrow’ using which the student is avoided. A mechanism needs to be adopted through which the student be assured genuine help and the disposal of his problem without any delay.
Some positive steps have already been taken with regard to holding research meeting on a regular basis and framing an academic calendar and holding examinations, declaring results in time but a lot needs to be done. Let us wait and believe in Prof. Khan, let she deliver to her potential and resolve all pending issue.
Nisar Sultan Lone teaches Mathematics at JK Institute of Mathematical Sciences, Srinagar.
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Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in this article are the personal opinions of the author. The facts, analysis, assumptions and perspective appearing in the article do not reflect the views of GK.