Select officials hold top posts at Pbi varsity

Ravneet Singh

Tribune News Service

Patiala, July 12

Select officials hold top posts in Punjabi University. 

While the performance of a number of departments is under scrutiny, officials, mostly professors, are overburdened as they hold charges of more than one department or office.

The university has a trend of allocating non-teaching positions to professors and researchers. The professors allocated such offices also do not resist.

A number of professors, including Dr GS Batra, Dr Manjit Singh Najjar, Dr Jaspal Kaur, Dr Kamaljeet Singh, Dr Amritpal Kaur and Dr Balwinder Singh Tiwana, hold charges of at least two departments or non-teaching administrative posts, besides teaching and research in their respective departments.

Dr GS Batra, a professor at the School of Management Studies, tops the list with a number of important positions, including Dean, Academics; Dean, Business Management and Commerce; Dean, Department of Engineering; and Controller of Examinations.

Dr Amritpal Kaur, a researcher at the Department of Literary Studies, holds the charge of Dean, Faculty of Languages; Additional Dean, Student Welfare; professor in-charge, Bhai Veer Singh Chair; and Director, Gurmat Gian Online Study Centre.

Similarly, Dr Jaspal Kaur is a professor of the Department of History; Dean, Research; Dean, College Development Council; Director, Maharana Pratap Chair, and Director, Agrasen Chair.

Dr Balwinder Singh Tiwana, a professor of the Department of Economics, follows suit. He is the in charge of Planning and Monitoring Department and co-coordinator, admission cell.

Dr Kamaljeet Singh is the Director of the computer centre. Besides, she is the Additional Controller of Examinations.

 A university official, who did not wish to be named, said, “The posts of Registrar; Dean, Academic Affairs; and Controller of Examinations are require a person who can devote his or her whole time. But in the university, a single person holds more than two top posts.”

VC BS Ghuman said, “We allocate the posts as per the availability of officials. These are not regular posts. They are stop-gap arrangements. We relieve them from a post at the very moment we get substitute officials.”