Bihar Lok Bhavan has constituted search committees for the appointment of vice chancellors in Bihar’s 10 state universities, which have drawn a large number of applicants from across the country. These candidates will face search committees after their credentials are screened and they are shortlisted.
Dipak Kumar Singh, Additional Chief Secretary to the Governor, said that the number of applicants was large and could range from 600 to 800 for each university.
The Samarth Portal is an online platform created by the ministry of education, government of India, to manage applications for VC and Pro-VC positions in higher education institutions. Users can apply to multiple advertised leadership vacancies across participating universities without re-entering their data. Filling those positions will witness another deluge of applications. The panel recommends three to five names for each university to the chancellor, who finalises the appointments following consultations with the chief minister.
Another senior official of the Lok Bhawan said that five search committees have been formed for the 10 universities, and unlike before, the state government nominee will also be different for each search committee. The position of Pro-VCs remained vacant in the state universities for a long time and the Secretariat of the Governor-cum-Chancellor initiated the exercise for appointing Pro-VCs in all 14 state universities in Bihar only in June. As per amendments made to the Bihar State Universities Act, 1976 and the Patna University Act, 1976, in 2013 following the Supreme Court order that same year, a search committee comprising two members nominated by the chancellor and one by the state government is responsible for appointing the VC in every university.
