Besides the teachers, even college managements are not happy with JNTU’s latest diktat as it disrupts regular classes in colleges. Following the sensational case of a principal with fake BTech and PhD degrees coming to fore, the Jawaharlal Nehru Technological University Hyderabad (JNTUH) has cracked a whip on all faculty members, including principals of affiliated colleges, who have obtained their degrees from private universities.
The varsity issued notices to over 100 faculty members of 34 colleges, asking them to visit the university along with all their original educational certificates for the verification. The verification process will take place on Tuesday and Wednesday. While speaking to #KhabarLive, JNTU registrar Prof N Yadaiah said that verification is a “routine activity” that is taken up to check the credentials of all faculty.
“Since we cannot individually verify the documents of all faculty at one go, we do it in slots,” he clarified and added that the university regularly receives complaints regarding fake degrees of faculty in affiliated colleges.
As part of the screening process, JNTU has also asked the faculty members to upload their certificates on the university portal. The latest circular, however, has sent lecturers and even colleges into a tizzy. Balakrishna Reddy, president of Technical Institutions Employees Association, told Express that lecturers who fail to establish the authenticity of their degrees would lose their current jobs.
Besides, their unique ID issued by the university would also be blocked, making it impossible for them to work in any of the JNTU affiliated colleges. “This was not a standalone case. In fact, there is another principal of an engineering college in Dindigul who has obtained his PhD degree from CMJ University, Shillong, under distance mode. But since UGC has barred doctoral programme under distance mode since 2016, how could he have got his doctoral degree?” questioned a senior faculty from a city-based engineering college. He alleged that nearly 22 principals of have dubious degrees.
Besides the teachers, even college managements are not happy with JNTU’s latest diktat as it disrupts regular classes in colleges.
Goutham Rao, president of Telangana Engineering Colleges Association, said that despite many rounds of verification and after selection of lecturers by JNTU’s selection committee, if such frauds still happen, the university should also take action against its own staff too.
Meanwhile, JNTUH has also issued instructions regarding the suspension of BE/BTech and ME/MTech degrees of faculty who were enrolled for the courses between 2001 and 2005 in the deemed universities of JRN Rajasthan Vidyapeeth, Rajasthan, Institute of Advanced Studies in Education, Rajasthan, Allahabad Agriculture Research Institute, Allahabad and Vinayaka Mission’s Research Foundation, Salem, Tamil Nadu. It has asked for a report on action taken against such faculty by September 27. #KhabarLive