This is the fifth time when Jammu University (JU) changed its Registrar during the two and a half year tenure of present Vice-Chancellor, Prof M K Dhar.
Under current Vice-Chancellor’s tenure, the University got 4th Controller of Examination, 4th Director College Development Council (CDC) and Director, Directorate of Distance Education (DDE). It has been three years since Prof Dhar was appointed Vice-Chancellor. He is on a three-year long term and is trying to get it extended.
A senior professor of the University said that this frequent and illogical change of COE has completely messed up with exams. He added that Colleges Development Council (CDC) which manages all the affiliated colleges of the region has got its 4th Director under incumbent Vice-Chancellor’s term.
He said that when Prof Dhar was appointed, Sanjiv Mahajan was COE. After some time, Prof Kulwant Singh was assigned to the post. Then Prof Rajnikant became COE and then recently, Prof Jasvir Singh took charge of the post in the recent shuffle.
Prof Dhar allegedly created chaos in JU by changing five Registrars in time period of less than one and half year. Interestingly the university has been appointing in-charge Registrars for the past many years in absence of a dedicated person for the post.
Sources tell that in September 2019, Prof RK Ganjoo was made Registrar of Jammu University, but soon because of his age controversy, he stepped down within two months. Since then, four professors have taken charge of the position.
Many allege that these frequent and baseless changes are ruining the university. Many within the university are hoping that Lt. Guv. Manoj Sinha, who also is the Chancellor of the Universities of J&K, constitute a search committee and take the matter into his hands.
A research scholar said that the university had three Deans of Research within a time period of 10 months. The VC has also interfered with senior academic positions of Deans who had a fixed tenure of three years.
Another professor alleged that Prof Dhar doesn’t consider seniority while appointing people on any post and made his favourite Prof Ganjoo as Dean Planning. Two senior Professors, Prof G M Bhat and Prof Meena Sharma had written at that time expressing their disappointment in the way things were happening. The Jammu University Teachers Association (JUTA) has also expressed their discontentment but the matter was considered closed because of the ongoing pandemic.