Akshay Azad
Early Times Report
JAMMU, Aug 21: The Public Service Commission has shortlisted mostly non-NET/SLET or PhD qualified candidates for the posts of Assistant Professors in Information Technology subject, in total violation of University Grants Commission guidelines.
Though the PSC has reportedly taken the excuse that NET or SLET is not being conducted in the IT subject so candidates with only PG have been shortlisted, experts have out-rightly rejected these 'hollow' pleas.
The experts have argued that NET or SLET is also not being conducted in Zoology, Botany, Biotechnology subject but the candidates have to appear in NET/SLET in the allied subject Life Sciences as per the UGC guidelines. Similarly, those who have qualified M.Sc in IT have to appear in NET in their allied subject which is Computer Sciences.
The experts further argued that even Graduate Aptitude Test for Engineering (GATE) is conducted in Computer Sciences and IT and all the candidates of M.Tech, M.Sc in IT and MCA have to appear in the GATE in CS&IT.
The PSC has shortlisted a total of 52 candidates for the 12 posts of IT subject, which were advertised in year 2014 and interviews for the same are scheduled to be held in the last week of August.
"When the posts were advertised along with over 1000 posts of APs in other subjects, NET/SLET or Ph.D was minimum qualification to apply for recruitment, as per UGC guidelines", the aspirants said, adding that due to minimum eligibility criteria, few candidates with only M.Sc in IT, had applied apart from few with NET/SLET in Computer Sciences and IT.
The candidates informed that when PSC published the rejection list of candidates, most of the candidates, who had M.Tech/MCA as qualification along with NET/SLET were rejected with a plea of JKPSC that the minimum qualification for the post of AP in IT was M.Sc in IT and not M.Tech or MCA.
"Now PSC has uploaded the list of shortlisted candidates but most of them are simply M.Sc in IT and not qualifying the minimum eligibility criteria of NET/SLET or Ph.D", sources said, adding that it also come to fore when few of these shortlisted candidates also applied for contractual posts in Government Degree colleges and furnished their qualification details.
The website of Amar Singh College, which is nodal college for appointment of contractual lecturers in colleges, found the names of some candidates out of 52, shortlisted by JKPSC for IT posts.
As per these details, Aijaz Ahmed Sheikh, who falls at PSC serial number 1, with PSC Bar Code 105986, Jahangeer Mohi Ud-Din Lone at serial 12, with Bar Code 106828, Javaid Jabar Mir (s.no.13) Bar code 106608, Nowhseen Mearaj (30) Bar Code 106279, Shazia Shafi (43) 105555, Sheikh Mudasir Hussain Zargar (44) 105987, Toha Yaseen Shah (47) 104775, Zarka Malik (50) 106237 had shown without any NET/SLET or Ph.D qualification.
Whereas Salma Farooq at serial number 39 with Bar Code 105664 had qualified SLET in the year 2013 and she is eligible for AP posts as well but Uzma Hameed (48) 105554 has also shown qualified NET in year 2015, after an year of advertisement of the posts as per documents uploaded on the website of Amar Singh College.
According to aspirants, Kashmir University has recently made appointments against two posts of APs in IT subject and all candidates with M.Sc in CS&IT, M.Sc in IT, M.Tech along with minimum eligibility of NET/SLET/Ph.D were allowed for interview.
"Even the selected candidates were also from M.Tech, MCA and M.Sc IT. When KU can allow all candidates, why JKPSC has made its own criteria, it is a million dollar question and pointing something fishy in the matter. Moreover, firstly they rejected NET/SLET qualified candidates and now they are allowing those candidates having merely post graduation", they lamented, adding that across the country same UGC rules have been followed but not by JKPSC.
The aspirants further said that out of 52 shortlisted candidates, not less than half a dozen had minimum eligibility criteria in 2014. "Remaining all are non-eligible for the posts as per UGC", they rued, adding that though there were large number of candidates with post graduation in IT but they had not fill the form due to fact that NET/SLET was minimum qualification but JKPSC has been trying to benefit those, who had filled the forms, just a matter of accident or under well planned conspiracy, it needs to be investigated", they alleged.
Talking to Early Times former Director of Directorate of Information Technology and Support System, Dr. Majid Zaman had maintained that when they had conducted the interviews, all candidates with M.Sc IT, M.Tech, MCA with NET/SLET or Ph.D as minimum qualification were allowed.
He opined that the JKPSC should review their decision, if candidates without having minimum qualification have been shortlisted.
Chairman of PSC, Abdul Latief Deva said that they had shortlisted the candidates as per recruitment rules forwarded by Higher Education department, according to which PG would be minimum qualification and NET/SLET is not required as same was not conducted in IT.
When asked NET/SLET is also not being conducted in Botany, Zoology and Biotechnology but allied subject Life Sciences, similarly IT aspirants have to apply in Computer Sciences for NET/SLET, he said that as per recruitment rules of Higher Education, they considered IT a separate subject from Computer Sciences.
When asked Kashmir University had also made recruitments for IT posts and allowed M.Sc in IT, M.Tech and MCA with NET/SLET/Ph.D, he said that they have been doing all this as per recruitment rules forwarded by the Higher Education Department. |
