Complaints against shortlisting Vijayan's pvt secy's wife for plum post

Thiruvananthapuram, Nov 17 (IANS) Complaints have started to come in the manner in which the Kannur University in Kerala allegedly violated rules to "speed up the process of appointment" of the wife of Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan's private secretary as Associate Professor.

The Save University Campaign Committee has written to Kerala Higher Education Minister R. Bindhu and Kannur University Vice Chancellor Gopinath Raveendran to check if the UGC rules were violated while shortlisting Priya Varghese's name for the post.

Vijayan's private secretary -- K.K. Ragesh, is a former Rajya Sabha member. His wife Priya Varghese is alleged to be the beneficiary of "some break-neck developments".

Meanwhile, Kannur University senate member K.R. Baiju has also written to Raveendran to ensure that rules are not violated as Priya does not have the required qualifications for the post of Associate Professor.

Priya figures in the list of six candidates called for the interview that is likely to be held soon.

She joined as an Assistant Professor of Malayalam at the Kerala Varma College in Trissur in 2012.

Those who have come out against this pointed out that the qualifications for an Associate Professor includes Ph.D and eight years of teaching experience, adding Priya does not have that.

They claimed that for three years, she had taken leave for Ph.D, and it cannot be counted as teaching experience.

Besides, they submitted that her experience of two years, when she was student director on deputation at the Kannur University, also cannot be counted as teaching experience. Therefore, taking these factors into consideration, she does not have the eight years prescribed teaching experience that has been prescribed as the qualification for the post of Associate Professor.

Priya has reacted by saying that she has all the required qualifications, and she is eligible for the post and hence, she has applied.