New Delhi, Nov. 7 -- The West Bengal government has initiated the process of setting up a separate University Service Commission to recruit teachers in state-aided universities and related higher education institutions, with the Higher Education Department constituting an 11-member expert committee to examine the proposal and recommend a framework for the commission.
According to the memorandum outlining the committee's composition and terms of reference, the panel has been tasked with examining various aspects of the proposed West Bengal University Service Commission and providing expert guidance. It has to submit its recommendations within a month.
The move could bring changes to the existing system under which universities recruit teachers against their sanctioned vacancies. If the proposed commission is established, recruitment may be brought under a common mechanism, potentially affecting the universities' existing role in faculty appointments.
The committee comprises four vice-chancellors, university professors, administrative officials and representatives of the Higher Education Department. The members include Ashutosh Ghosh, Vice-Chancellor of the Calcutta University; Debabrata Mitra, Vice-Chancellor of West Bengal State University; Kallol Paul, Vice-Chancellor of Kalyani University; and Ashis Bhattacharjee, Vice-Chancellor of Gour Banga University.
Other members are Debajit Dutta, officiating registrar of Jadavpur University; Arijit Chatterjee, officiating registrar of Burdwan University; Indrajit Lahiri, former Vice-Chancellor and professor of mathematics at Kalyani University; Arindam Bhattacharya, professor of zoology at the University of Calcutta; and Deepak Kumar Roy, professor of Bengali at Raiganj University.
Partha Chakraborty, additional secretary of the Higher Education Department, and Uttam Kumar Chaubey, special law officer of the department, are also members. Chakraborty will serve as the committee's member-convenor.
Published by HT Digital Content Services with permission from Millennium Post.