The Hindu : `Gender bias': varsity told to explain

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Monday, Jan 12, 2004

Kerala

Kerala

`Gender bias': varsity told to explain

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM, JAN. 11. The Governor, Sikander Bakht, who is also the Chancellor of universities, has called for all the documents relating to the appointment of the Registrar in the University of Calicut following complaints that the selection process was marked by gender bias.

S. Nirmala, Head of the Department of Russian and Centre for Comparative Literature, has raised the complaint. She had alleged the selection process was completely vitiated by gender discrimination and urged the Governor to scrutinise all the related documents. The Governor had given her the opportunity to present her case before him December 12. He is also understood to have sought the explanation of the Vice-Chancellor of the University, Syed Iqbal Hasnain, in the matter.

In her representation to the Governor, Dr. Nirmala said the university had committed gross gender discrimination and breached rights as a woman by not even ranking her among the persons eligible to be appointed to the post which, according to her, was the usual norm followed by all such selection boards. Had she been chosen, she would have been the first woman to be chosen for such a post in any of the universities in the State.

Dr. Nirmala is the chairperson of the Committee for the Prevention of Harassment of Women in the University and has 24 years' teaching experience. She has been serving as member of the boards of studies for foreign languages in the Calicut, Cochin, Kerala and Shivaji universities and is currently a UGC nominee to the Society of CIEFL, Hyderabad.

She had also alleged that out of the 10 marks set apart for interview, the person who was subsequently recommended for appointment as Registrar had been given 90 per cent marks while all the other candidates were given 30 to 40 per cent marks. According to her, the interview lasted barely five minutes and she was herself asked `not even a single question of academic or administrative importance relating to education or higher education'.

She has also submitted that the candidate recommended for appointment to the post had been given one extra mark for teaching experience when, according to her, the person was working abroad on leave without allowance. The two-year leave period, she has pointed out, had been taken into account as `educational administrative experience', which was the essential minimum qualification prescribed for the job. She has contended that if this one mark was deducted from the person's total marks, he would not have been eligible to be ranked for the post.

The University notified the post on September 1, 2003. Eighteen candidates were called for the interview held on October 14, 2003, and the selected person joined the post the very next day.

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