NEPOTISM REVISITED

The Insider

Having been associated with KU for a good number of years, I’ve got a chance to get a glimpse of the state of affairs there. In fact, it doesn’t take a Sherlock Holmes to figure that out. Not a slightest doubt that nepotism is rampant there and the place is infested with brothers, sons, daughters, and a hell lot of nephews. And the list goes on. Okay! I’ll better put it this way. You come across say an HOD or some officer from the administration. There is a more than 50% odds that you’ve just met one of the members of VC’s or registrar’s extended clan that prowl along the vast KU grasslands. Nepotism is killing the academic environment and competency of the university in a literal sense. And what adds to the frustration is that there’s no sign of abating.

It’s a matter of grave concern to all the well wishers of KU. The public institution aimed at providing quality education is a recruiting center for the kins of a handful of families. Looks like its payback period for the founding fathers the university is so much indebted to. From an alternative perspective, KU is all about the vice chancellor and the registrar, whose legacy must be transferred down hereditarily to their siblings and offsprings. When the country is heading forward to get rid of an age old dynasty, there is one being built up in this small microcosm. Ironic indeed. I can’t help wondering what KU would look like if it were magnified to a larger scale. Say KU was a country. What would the KU nation look like? A meritocracy where qualifications stand supreme? Or a feudal autocracy, where nepotism is the mantra for good governance, the voice of discontents are suppressed and the sycophants are rewarded for their blind and loyal services.

It’s a travesty indeed. These kins occupy the top posts of the administration and most of the engineering departments, whose competency and academic ability is highly questionable and equally objectionable. They have been elevated to the top making sacrifices of the more qualified and deserving ones. Once again, I want to put forth a trivia. How do you evaluate the competence of academician? Is it his/her academic credentials and his/her research publications? Or is it his/her PR records and his/her family ties? Looks like it depends on the hemisphere you live in. In that case, KU is situated in the wrong side of the globe. And it’s a waste of time and effort to seek idealism and righteousness. What a misfortune! A grave geographical error causing all the ills that are going around.

There’s a lack of work culture at KU (I am talking in an absolute sense and don’t want to compare things at TU. We can still make a ratioanal judgment without any comparison). Personal relationships play the biggest role in career development. You’ve got to be in the good books of the top brass. Once again capability is secondary and a minimum qualification is a more than enough criterion. Darwin’s laws of natural selection still apply though. “Survival of the fittest” still holds good. But then, there have been alterations in the fitness parameters. Let’s look at the all powerful administration. In addition to the fact that it is headed by a younger brother, the administration is overstaffed. And new positions pop out every now and then to accommodate the growing clan of sharmas and adhikarys. I may be wrong. But, aren’t the administrative staffs there to facilitate and support the academia. Come on! It’s an educational institution whose heart and souls are the faculties and students. The irony is that administrators enjoy more power and autonomy. And what to make out of this culture of sycophancy that is so deep rooted and promoted as well? The top brass expects unwavered loyalty from the subordinates. The very nature on how KU runs is similar to the royal regime that has just been toppled down and for good. They want a bunch of cohorts and yes-men who are devoid of self esteem, who turn a blind eye to all their deeds/misdeeds, never raise no objections on any issues, and never get tired extolling the bosses for their grand contribution in the educational sector. Agreed that Dr. Saabs initiated and have contributed a lot in forming and nurturing the university to its present state. But haven’t they got their share of accolades and respect for that? And nobody is discrediting them on this. And ain’t these enough?

Come on respected sirs! You are already larger than life figures. But this doesn’t grant you the “divine” right to fill up the place with your undeserving kins. It’s a public institution for god sake and not a family venture. And you cannot take undue advantage of your personal influence! This is a gross abuse of power. How can you be social examples and project yourselves exemplary when your mentality is not at all different from the rest? You are not aloof of the subcontinent syndrome when it comes to leadership and power. Coz the way you handle authority keeps you at par with the likes of our own version of dictators like Gyanendras and Girijas. You promote nepotism, and you cannot tolerate any voices of discontent. And how can you advocate quality education when you turn a blind eye to the credentials of your near and dear ones? Pray don’t make a mockery of good leadership and quality education. I have nothing to say if you are all intent on giving a whole new meaning to those phrases. But then, pray spare KU. It deserves much better.

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The author can be contacted at gwaach@hotmail.com
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