Gujarat: Saurashtra University to re-conduct recruitment process for teaching assistants

NEW DELHI: Amid allegations of favouritism in the recruitment of teaching assistants in the Saurashtra University (SU) in Gujarat authorities have decided to conduct the entire process afresh, officials said on Sunday, a day after the NSUI claimed that BJP members of the SU syndicate had created a social media group to recommend the candidates for their contractual recruitment.

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On Saturday, the Congress's student wing had demanded that the entire process be held afresh and everything video recorded. In the WhatsApp group of BJP members of the Saurashtra University syndicate, 23 names were allegedly mentioned as the candidates recommended for the final recruitment as contractual teachers for which the varsity had recently started the process. The interviews of the candidates are slated to begin shortly, the National Students Union of India (NSUI) had claimed. "We have decided to conduct the recruitment process afresh," Vice-Chancellor NM Pethani said on Sunday. He said an open interview process of eligible candidates was conducted between September 29 and October 12 to shortlist 78 successful candidates. But in view of the controversy over the purported WhatsApp group, the varsity has decided to conduct the process once again. Pethani had said he had not received any recommendation from anybody to pick the teaching assistants.

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Reacting to the controversy, Gujarat Education Minister Jitu Vaghani had assured that the entire process will be held in a "transparent" manner and selection will be based on merit. He said no candidate will be treated unfairly. "I talked to the vice-chancellor over the phone after learning about the controversy surrounding the contractual recruitment at the Saurashtra University. I have instructed him to conduct the entire process with full transparency, based on merit, and to ensure that no candidate is treated unfairly. Additional Secretary, Education Department has also been instructed to take action," he tweeted.