[ Amar Sangno ]
ITANAGAR, 10 Oct: A group of aggrieved candidates who participated in the recent recruitment interviews for the posts of assistant professors and associate professors at the Arunachal Pradesh University (APU), Pasighat (E/Siang), has written to the governor, alleging gross anomalies and unfairness in the faculty interview process.
The candidates have alleged that the recruitment board grossly violated the UGC Regulations, 2018, by disregarding the mandatory Academic Performance Indicator (API) scores guidelines.
They claimed, “The screening was rushed through without due consideration to the UGC Regulations, 2018, which categorically mandate that API scores based on the tables given in Appendix-II are to be considered. Instead, some candidates were rejected on arbitrary grounds without proper explanation.”
The candidates further alleged that, despite the clear mandate regarding the use of API for shortlisting candidates for interviews, the APU inexplicably elevated the interview scores of several mere postgraduate, fresh, and non-PhD candidates to such high levels that they were selected over candidates with PhDs and several years of research and teaching experience.
“This feat is so improbable that it defies credulity and demands scrutiny,” they said.
The candidates went on to say that the selection board of the APU recklessly abandoned proper screening protocols, which they claimed was starkly evident in “a disproportionately staggering number of candidates summoned for interviews for significant positions like teaching faculty, wholly untethered from the prescribed API criteria.”
“For instance, for one post of assistant professor, 63 candidates in commerce, 64 candidates in English, 54 in tribal studies, 37 in sociology, 56 in mathematics, and 43 candidates for two posts of assistant professor mass communication (were summoned),” they claimed.
“Such astronomical figures betray a deliberate and unconscionable failure to adhere to standardized screening norms, thereby inflicting severe prejudice upon qualified candidates who rightfully expected a fair and merit-based evaluation” the candidates said.
The aggrieved candidates also questioned the credibility of the composition of the interview board, alleging that the board lacked subject specialists and diversity.
“The APU recruitment board’s composition was egregiously flawed and fundamentally biased, devoid of any genuine subject experts whose primary research focus or expertise directly aligned with the department of the candidates appearing for the interview. For some candidates, there were no subject experts present in the interview board members,” they alleged, citing the UGC Regulations, 2018, 5.1 (I) (a) (iii) for the post of assistant professor, which states that three experts in the subject concerned are to be part of the selection board for the recruitment process.
The aggrieved candidates also flagged failure to evaluate academic credentials and publications. They said that most candidates were not told to provide their academic credentials, such as publications and professional achievements, which they claimed raises serious question over the credibility of the evaluation by the board members.
The candidates also accused the board members of bias, undermining merit-based selection, and discrediting the intent of the UGC Regulation, 2018. They said that several candidates were not posed any subject-related questions but were asked personal questions not pertaining to their subject matters. “It raises serious doubts over the fairness of the evaluation in the interview by the APU selection board,” they said.
The candidates with far more deserving credentials have been overlooked, which raises serious question on the credibility of entire interview process, they said.
“The candidate who has been selected under the unreserved category for the post of assistant professor in the education department of the APU does not possess a PhD degree and has no prior teaching experience, whereas the waitlisted candidate possesses a PhD degree, has seven years of teaching experience, and has published several research papers in reputed national and international journals,” they claimed.
They said that the candidate selected in the department of social work possesses MA with NET, “which are mere qualification to be eligible for the post,” adding that “credible candidate with international post-doctoral experience, both MA and PhD, from an institute which pioneered social work in India, with years of experience in research, teaching and development sector, several publications, and invited talks in national and international platforms, is put on waitlist.”
“In newly established departments that lack senior faculty such as associate professors or professors, it is ethically and academically important to prioritize candidates with relevant teaching and research experience, even as assistant professor (entry level),” said one of the aggrieved candidates on condition of anonymity.
“Preference should have been given to candidates with teaching experience for strong academic foundation and ensuring continuity in teaching, mentoring, and departmental development. The APU recruitment process, however, appears to have overlooked experienced applicants, which could affect the quality and credibility of these emerging departments,” he added.
Seeking the governor’s intervention, the candidates demanded that the Raj Bhavan initiate an immediate independent inquiry into the APU recruitment board’s conduct, including the composition of the interview panel and the decision-making process, under Section 8(7) and Section 8(8) of the Arunachal Pradesh University Act, 2012.
They further demanded annulment of the final selection or appointment of the selected candidates until the inquiry is completed, to prevent irreversible injustice, as per Section 8(11) of the Arunachal Pradesh University Act, 2012.
Additionally, they requested the governor to direct the APU to re-conduct the interview in strict compliance with the UGC Regulations, 2018, ensuring the presence of subject experts and proper evaluation of publications and credentials.
They also sought a detailed report on the inquiry findings and measures to maintain public trust in the institution’s academic governance. Furthermore, they requested a provision for online submission of applications on the university’s website, similar to other central universities that use the Samarth portal, where the API is automatically calculated.
On being asked, APU Registrar Narmi Darang said, “As of now, the university has not received any such official communication. As and when we receive it, an appropriate clarification will be issued.”
The APU shortlisted a total of 441 eligible candidates for 15 posts of assistant professors in various subjects on 29 August, based on the advertisement notified on 27 July.
The Arunachal Times could not get a reaction from the Raj Bhavan on the issue.
