LUCKNOW, May 17 -- The professor and head of the journalism and mass communication department at Babasaheb Bhimrao Ambedkar University (BBAU), Lucknow, on Saturday took to his Facebook handle to slam the vice chancellor selection process at the varsity. The professor, Govind Pandey, through his facebook post asserted that it lacks complete transparency. Colleagues of Prof Pandey stated that his posts should be treated as a "whistleblower" expose, questioning the entire selection process. They noted that this lack of transparency often results in non-deserving persons being appointed to coveted posts based on the whims and mercy of a select few (a three-member selection committee). Pandey's Facebook post further highlighted the hypocrisy of the system: "Vice-Chancellors who insist on conducting tests and interviews even for appointing a peon leave their own selection to the discretion of a mere three-member committee." He added that for the appointment of assistant professors, while API (Academic Performance Indicator) scores are displayed on the website, "the vice-chancellor quietly proceeds to make the appointments behind the scenes." Prof Pandey questioned: "Do only a select few professors in India possess wings (qualities), enabling them to repeatedly ascend to the position of vice-chancellor? Or is it that the API scores of the remaining professors are so abysmal that they fail to even make it to the final shortlist of three candidates?" He continued with an analogy about sycophancy: "Lord Ganesha once conveyed a profound message by circumambulating Shiva and Parvati; however, in this Kaliyuga (present era), educators have misinterpreted this act as mere sycophancy and have adopted it as their own practice. Those in positions of power prefer only bootlickers, regardless of whether the latter possess zero actual achievements." To make the vice-chancellor's appointment more transparent, Prof Govind Pandey suggested: Candidates should deliver live lectures, and students and teachers alike should vote to determine who should be appointed to the post. He warned that "Allowing a select few to exercise proprietary control over education will inevitably ruin it." When contacted, Prof Pandey confirmed he had expressed his thoughts on social media and stands by every word he penned in his post. Meanwhile, the university spokesperson declined to comment on the matter when contacted by HT over phone....