Woman failed to break OU glass barrier for V-C post
Osmania University, which will be turning hundred years in a few weeks, is still waiting for its first woman vice-chancellor. The university had 24 vicechancellors in the last 100 years, but none of them was a woman.
Persons from different fields like bureaucracy, judiciary, literature as well as top academics served as OU VC, which once catered to the entire Hyderabad princely state and later the entire Telangana region.
Nawab Wahi-ud-Dowla served as the vice-chancellor for the longest period. He was the V-C for 15 years between 1920 and 1935. The shortest stint was of Nawab Habibur Rehman Khan during 1918-19.
Dr D.S. Reddy comes the second after Dowla in terms of the period in office. Dr Reddy was in office for 12 years from 1957 to 1969. He was credited with improving academic standards.
“He was instrumental in convincing professors like Dr E.G. Parameswaran (psychology) and Gautham Mathur (economics) to join as OU faculty. Dr Reddy had supported OU’s demand for autonomy,” said former OU VC Tirupathi Rao.
The other prominent personality was Prof. G. Ram Reddy, who worked as OU V-C for five years from 1977-82. He was considered as the architect of Distance Education and Open Learning in India.
After his stint at OU, Ram Reddy went on to adorn chairman posts in IGNOU (Indira Gandhi National Open University), UGC (University Grants Commission) and ICSSR (Indian Council of Social Science Research) at the national level.
Syed Hashim Ali (IAS), Justice P. Jaganmohan Reddy (retired SC judge) and N. Narotham Reddy (Golconda Patrika editor) were some of the V-Cs with non-academic background who left a big impact on the varsity.
Jaganmohan Reddy (197577) adopted a no-nonsense approach after education standards started dipping following agitations. He dealt mass copying in exams with iron hand and even debarred scores of students, said K. Purushotham Reddy, retired OU professor said.
Prof. T. Navneeth Rao (1985-91) protected OU lands from encroachments despite pressures.