Punjabi University syndicate presses for staff rationalisation

PATIALA: Punjabi University syndicate, its highest decision-making body that was meeting after a year, deferred discussion on key inquiry reports in its meeting on Monday. These reports pertained to allegations of corruption, nepotism and misuse of funds during 2007-2017.

In the two-and-a-half hour digital meeting, syndicate members strongly pressed for restructuring and reassessing of workforce, to curtail expenditure in order to improve fiscal health. The syndicate also put on all agendas related to regularisation of teaching and non-teaching staff, extension cases of guest faculty teachers and other recruitment.

“The syndicate has asked university authorities to focus on rationalisation of staff to contain increasing expenditure. It has also been decided that the syndicate meeting will be held in the second week of every month,” said Rahul Bhandari, secretary higher education.a syndicate member said the university has also been asked to stop practice of taking decisions without taking its approval. “This is an illegal practice and prior syndicate approval is required for the university to take future decisions,” a member said.