We need to strongly condemn the very high-handed move to give Goa University Vice – Chancellor Dr Satish Shetye a two year extension. Goa University’s Executive Committee is trying to swiftly amend the Goa University Statute SA-6 (1) (d) to give a compulsory 5 year term to the present Vice Chancellor Dr. Satish Shetye.
The change to the University Statute is being effected to give Dr Satish Shetye who is due to retire this month on attaining the age of 65 a further two years as Vice-Chancellor. By amending the statue it will defeat the spirit and intent of restricting the retirement age of the Vice- Chancellor to 65 years which was to induct relatively younger persons and fresh blood in the management of the University.
Besides, the lackluster Vice- Chancellor Dr Satish Shetye has no singular great achievement to merit this extra-ordinary privilege of a two year extension. Even the ‘A’ Grade gained by Goa University from NAAC (National Assessment and Accreditation Council) is not due to the present Vice-Chancellors’s own personal contributions but due to the collective efforts of all the Departments in the Goa University and the good work done by earlier Vice-Chancellor.
Dr Satish Shetye’s only achievement is that he has acted as a dedicated mouth piece of the government and danced to the tunes of the ruling BJP in running the Goa University. Dr Shetye’s extension is being manipulated at the instance of the RSS elements within the BJP. The two year extension would affect the University adversely by denying it the services of more acclaimed and capable national level personalities.
A Selection Committee was apparently constituted in May this year to recommend suitable names of persons to be the next Vice–Chancellor but the committee intentionally went into slumber as the extension now being sought to be given to the incumbent Dr Satish Shetye was pre-planned.
Since the inception of Goa University in 1985, all the Vice-Chancellors appointed have been from the Science stream. It is time to get an eminent personality from other faculties like Arts, Commerce or Management appointed as the next Vice – Chancellor to infuse the much needed dynamism and Acche din at the Goa University.
