Bihar Lok Bhavan has revised eligibility criteria for the appointment of vice-chancellors (VCs) and pro-vice-chancellors (Pro-VCs) in state universities and also extended the deadline for accepting applications. The changes are expected to open the door for a broader range of experienced academics who might have been sidelined under the earlier norms.
According to a press note issued by Lok Bhawan on Sunday, the experience clause in the rules for appointment of the VCs and Pro-VCs has been revised in accordance with the Universities Grants Commission (UGC) norms, replacing the old provision. “Instead of earlier practice of counting experience from the date of the official notification, granting professorship, it will now be from the actual date of promotion to the professor’s post,” said additional chief secretary (ACS) to the governor Dipak Kumar Singh. “This is in line with Clause 6.3 (VI) of the UGC Regulations 2018.”
Officials say this change in rules will make several senior academics eligible, who were falling short under the old yardstick. Accordingly, the last date for submitting online applications has been pushed back to July 28 (from earlier deadline of June 21), giving aspiring candidates more time to apply.
The Chancellor’s office, which functions under Governor Syed Ata Hasnain, has simultaneously restructured the search committee process. Government nominees will no longer be repeated across multiple committees, a departure from past practice where the same person often sat on all panels. The idea is to bring fresh perspectives and reduce any perception of uniformity or influence in selections.
A senior officer of the Raj Bhavan described the exercise as part of a larger push to overhaul the state’s university system. Notifications were issued in May and June for six VCs, four more VCs and 14 Pro-VCs across institutions including Aryabhatta Knowledge University, Lalit Narayan Mithila University, Kameshwar Singh Darbhanga Sanskrit University, Bhupendra Narayan Mandal University, Babasaheb Bhimrao Ambedkar Bihar University, Jayprakash University, Veer Kunwar Singh University and others. In all, 24 top positions are being filled in one go — the largest such drive in recent memory.
“This is a big opportunity,” one senior official said on condition of anonymity. “We want capable leaders with integrity who can pull our universities out of long-standing challenges and align them with the goals of the National Education Policy (NEP).” The move also seeks to end the reliance on ad-hoc and interim arrangements that have become common in several institutions.
These will be the first major appointments of this scale during the current tenure of the governor and chief minister Samrat Choudhary. In the past, VC selections have sometimes sparked controversy, including a major judicial intervention in 2013 when the Supreme Court struck down appointments following allegations of irregularities.
A former head of the department of Patna University, who is also a claimant for the post, said that for many faculty members, who have put in decades of service but missed the earlier eligibility window by a narrow margin, will become eligible for a fresh chance. University insiders say the extended deadline and rule change reflect a serious intent to widen the talent pool rather than settle for the usual names.
The search committees are expected to begin their work once the application window closes. Shortlisting and interactions will follow, with the final selections resting with the Chancellor.
