Biswabrata Goswami
KRISHNAGAR, 11 DEC: After a prolonged vacancy of over a year, Prof. Dr. Tapati Chakraborti has been appointed as the Vice-Chancellor (V-C) of Kanyashree University, a dream project of Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee. The Department of Higher Education (University Branch) announced the appointment through a notification on Tuesday, following approval by Governor CV Ananda Bose, who serves as the Chancellor of the university.
Dr. Chakraborti, who is currently the Director of the Directorate of Open and Distance Learning (DODL) and a professor of Biochemistry at Kalyani University, will take charge of the new role immediately.
Reflecting on her appointment, Dr. Chakraborti said, “The university is very new, and I will have to start from the initial stages. I hope to fulfill the Chief Minister’s dream and look forward to cooperation from all quarters.”
The position at Kanyashree University had been vacant for more than a year due to an impasse over the appointment of vice-chancellors across several state universities in West Bengal. Dr. Chakraborti’s appointment is part of a larger effort to fill these critical roles.
In addition to Kanyashree University, three other state-aided universities in Bengal also received permanent vice-chancellors. The newly appointed V-Cs are: Jane Alam for Murshidabad University, Sourangshu Mukhopadhyay for Mahatma Gandhi University in East Midnapore, Nandini Sahu for Hindi University in Howrah
These appointments were finalized after Governor Bose approved recommendations made by the Chief Minister, following a panel selection process conducted by a search-cum-selection committee led by former Chief Justice of India UU Lalit.
The appointments mark significant progress in resolving the long-standing issue of vacant vice-chancellor positions in the state. With these approvals, 10 of Bengal’s state universities now have full-term vice-chancellors. Earlier, six V-C appointments were approved on 6 December.
According to sources, five candidates were called to the Raj Bhavan for interviews on Tuesday, with four being selected. Each vice-chancellor will serve a four-year term or until reaching the age of 70, whichever is earlier.
The Supreme Court, which has been monitoring the situation, set a three-week deadline for the Governor to complete the remaining appointments. Attorney General of India R. Venkataramani requested additional time for the Governor to finalize the names for the remaining universities.
These appointments bring much-needed stability to the higher education sector in West Bengal, where several universities have operated without permanent leadership for extended periods.
Tags: #KanyashreeUniversity #TapatiChakraborti #KalyaniUniversity #DODL #VC
