'Delay' in recruitment to academic, administrative posts in IGNOU: sources

As the appointment of a full-time Vice Chancellor for Indira Gandhi National Open University (IGNOU) still remains in limbo, it turns out that recruitment to over 1,300 vacancies across academic and administrative positions of the varsity too has been delayed.

Sources privy to this in the IGNOU, a central university, said the process of recruitments "has been delayed" since last year despite a 2016-2017 official report mentioning over 1,300 vacancies in both academics as well as administrative departments.

Till April 2017, out of 785 sanctioned vacancies for teachers and academics posts, only 523 were filled and out of 2,499 sanctioned vacancies for administrative posts (including Group D staff) only 1,396 of them were in position, according to a IGNOU report released last year.

"Other core activities of the varsity are happening without any hurdles, but it takes a full-time VC with all powers to fasten the recruitment process," the sources told PTI.

The official said that since former VC, Prof M Aslam, was forced to go on leave in 2015 for his involvement in alleged irregularities, the IGNOU has not had a full-time VC. The Ministry of Human Resource Development had last year initiated the process to appoint a full-time VC, but it has not been completed yet.

After Prof Aslam, Prof Nageshwar Rao was appointed as the acting VC, but he later demitted the office upon his appointment as the VC of the Uttarakhand Open University.

Later, the senior-most professor, Ravindra Kumar, was made the acting VC from April 2016 till October 2017 and from November 2017 Prof S B Arora is the VC (in-charge) of IGNOU, the source said.