Kannur University associate professor recruitment under cloud after complaint over eligibility

Kannur: The recruitment process for the post of Associate Professor in the Department of Physical Education at Kannur University has come under scrutiny following allegations that an ineligible candidate was allowed to participate in the selection interview.

A candidate who attended the interview has lodged a complaint with the Chancellor, who is also the Governor of Kerala, alleging that the university is attempting to appoint a person who does not meet the prescribed eligibility criteria. The complaint has also been submitted to the State Higher Education Minister.

According to the complaint, the screening committee shortlisted three candidates from among the applicants, of whom two appeared for the interview held on June 20. A rank list was subsequently prepared.

One of the interviewees is currently serving as an Assistant Professor in the Department of Physical Education at the Kerala University of Fisheries and Ocean Studies (KUFOS). The other candidate is employed in a non-teaching position at Kannur University.

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Under the prescribed qualifications for the post of Associate Professor, candidates are required to have at least eight years' experience as an Assistant Professor. The complaint alleges that the Kannur University employee has only six years' teaching experience at a government college, along with service as a guest lecturer in a university teaching department between 2009 and 2012.

The complainant contends that the university counted the guest lecturer period towards the required experience, despite the University Grants Commission (UGC) Regulations stating that service as a guest lecturer cannot be considered qualifying experience for appointment to the post of Associate Professor.

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The complaint further argues that a candidate who does not satisfy the eligibility criteria should not have been permitted to appear for the interview in the first place.

The issue was reportedly raised during the previous Syndicate meeting, where a senior university official presented the rank list as part of the approval process for the appointment. However, Syndicate members aligned with the United Democratic Front (UDF) sought further examination of the matter, resulting in no decision being taken. The matter was also not recorded in the official minutes of the meeting.

The rank list is expected to be placed before the Syndicate again at its meeting scheduled for Saturday.