Groupism is bane of University of Pune

The outgoing vice chancellor (VC) of the University of Pune (UoP), Raghunath Shevgaonkar, said there should not be groupism in the university and all senate discussions should be based purely on academic issues. He was interacting with the media on Tuesday.

Shevgaonkar would be joining the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Delhi as its director and is likely to hand over charge on September 20. He took charge as the UoP VC on March 25 last year, after a stint as professor of electrical engineering in IIT-Bombay.

The chancellor of the university and governor, K Sankaranarayanan, would decide on Shevgaonkar’s successor before the latter leaves for Delhi.

Sharing his experiences about the varsity senate meetings, Shevgaonkar suggested that one should always follow the thoughts, rather than the person from whom it comes. “This is what is lacking in UoP,” he said.

According to him, the senate meetings should be based on agenda and not on the duration of the senate. All senate meetings should revolve round academic discussions.

“I joined the UoP with a different view, but after taking up the post, I realised that it is not possible for me to pursue research and teaching, which is the normal practice at IITs. I will now continue my research at IIT, Delhi,” he said.

Expressing concern over examination reforms, the UoP VC said, “Unfortunately we could not achieve any major impact on this front. I feel that the university is bogged down in the examination process.”

Taking note of anonymous letters based on allegations, he said, “There should be some accountability and the person truly interested in the development of UoP should come forward and not send such letters.” He also praised the ongoing computerisation of various departments.