Hyderabad: The search Committee has shortlisted 11 names for selection of the Vice Chancellor of Maulana Azad National Urdu University and has scheduled interview on November 19. After a long struggle, Urdu University was founded in Hyderabad but not a single Vice Chancellor of the university belonged to Telangana. Unfortunately, of the names which have been shortlisted from 157 applications, only one belongs to Hyderabad but he is not an Urdu-knowing persons and belongs to majority community.
Urdu-knowing persons belonging to Telangana had also applied for the post and they fulfilled the criteria, but they were not shortlisted.
A professor of Osmania University has been shortlisted from Hyderabad, but he is not associated with Urdu. Another candidate from Rayalseema has been shortlisted.
The vice chancellors who have served the university so far are Mohammed Shameem Jairajpuri, M Pathan, Mohammed Miya and Dr Mohammed Aslam Parvez.
Aslam Parvez resigned before completion of his tenure. The tenure of vice chancellor in central universities is five years. The new vice chancellor is likely to be appointed by November.
The search Committee comprises of Prof Najma Akhtar Vice Chancellor Jamia Millia Islamia, Prof K K Agarwal and Prof S K Singh. After the interview of 11 candidates on November 19, three names will be recommended to the visitor of the University. President Ramnath Kovind is the visitor.
According to sources, the names that have been shortlisted are either selected on the recommendation of ruling party or those who are close to the central government. Hyderabad can be rightly called as Urdu hub and there is no dearth of eligible candidates in the city. In spite of that eligible candidates from Hyderabad have always been ignored for the post of vice chancellor. Besides that 75 percent of the staff of the university belongs to North India.