By Mohammad Allam,
When a new Vice-Chancellor comes to AMU, he is received with medieval pomp and show in Buggy (Horse driven carriage) escorted by Horse rider. But when he finished his term he is kicked off like football. Why so?
For the last 20 years, the selection of VC for Aligarh Muslim University is basically a joint effort of various lobbies working in the university like Islamist, Communist, RSS and Regionalist. These groups are formed and worked on the principle of various interests. While open principle of all these groups is to safeguard the interest of the community.
Among the students, various groups project their claim on the basis of region, religion, interest of the community etc. The students are shown the bright future for supporting a particular candidate as VC in the University and Court. While the hidden purpose under cover is to see the maximum benefit in the appointment, promotion, admission, and contracts of construction and commercial ventures worth millions of rupees inside the campus of the University.
Any VC coming from outside can’t compete the powerful lobbies of more than fifty years experience of the affairs of the University. To counter these powerful experienced groups, the vice-chancellor must have powerful backing both inside and outside of the University. The students who play an act of balance between the powerful lobbies and the University administration make the situation worse when they play in the hands of either university administration or lobbies. If the students union play the role of constructive politics and just aim at the welfare and demands of the students, nothing will be worse inside the campus. The situation turns worse when the Students Union plays in the hands of the either parties.
The University players always misguide the VC on the question of Students Union. They used to frighten the VC from the past deeds of the Union and did not allow the Students Union in the campus which could check the bad guys of the University. And thus in long run the VC comes under grip of the university players and used to do all those things which erode his image among the students, community and Old boys.
Any VC should know that a good students Union is his bulwark against the pressure of the University players of both the teaching and non-teaching staffs. He also should know that these are the students who make tempo of anti administration in the University. In the lack of any representative body of the students, the VC has to face the mob of the students. And he can’t stop them from playing in the hands of others. So, the need is to strengthen the mechanism of the better Students Union in the campus as initiated by the outgoing VC Prof PK Abdul Azis in the light of Lyngdoh Committee recommendations.
The success of any new VC depends upon the projected time frame for which he aspires for the University. For the last 20 years most of VC lost the rhythm when they started to think about the second term or looked upon the post of Governorship. In first case he comes under grip of the university players for nominating him for second term. While in case of second option to be Governor he comes under grip of the Government ruling at centre. And if we see the history of AMU how many of them got the second term? While for governorship few got this coveted post due to their political background and family association with the Congress party like Dr Zakir Hussain, Noorul Hasan etc.
The one principle on which A.M.U. runs nowadays is the principle of give and take. The salutation, the relationship, the eloquent talking, all these are just to facilitate the fulfilling of the interest. The story of the community plight and crocodile tears are shed more frequently to impress the target. In such situation the only person who will handle all these in the best way, is the expert of professional working. At present the demand of the university is the professional administrator with civil service background. There is no doubt that emotion works but makes more harm in the case of dealing with the people of vested interest. And A.M.U. suffered a lot from this emotional attachment of the various segments of the University.
The backlog of vacancies in the various departments also is a point of tussle between the university players and the University administration. Any VC who wants to remove such worry must fill the vacancies as earliest as possible. So, the players who are eyeing for the posts for their ineligible sons and daughters could not get a chance to pose a problem for the university administration in long run. Many VC suffered and faced the hostilities of the groups who could not get eyed posts. These groups created problems for the VC.
In a University where such situations have prevailed over decades then the University needs a visionary vice-chancellor who should not aspire for two terms, governorship, and should not work as agent of any political party but work together with the stakeholders of the University for the betterment of the University and the community. Now it’s time for the people who call themselves as true follower of the Aligarh Movement and well wisher of the community to prove their worth by selecting a good Vice-Chancellor to administer the university with vision and in peace. So, he could go back in same buggy escorted by Horse riders.