Professor gets scholarship but no leave to conduct research
Despite two letters by education minister, GU has still not granted leave to prof Jhaver Patel; the reader accuses VC of being
By Yogesh Avasthi
Posted On Wednesday, October 07, 2009 (Ahmedabad Mirror : http://www.ahmedabadmirror.com/index.aspx?Page=article§name=News%20-%20City§id=3&contentid=2009100720091007031118218b9324d6e)
Dr Jhaver C Patel can see the opportunity of a lifetime pass before his eyes but there’s little he can do about it. The UGC awarded Patel a two-year post-doctoral scholarship. But Patel, a reader with GU’s Sociology department, will have to forego the ‘rarest of rare opportunity’ of his career as the university has not granted him duty leave to conduct the research.
In a letter issued on July 2, the UGC gave Patel 45 days to accept a research project on ‘Koldha Tribals — Culture and Transformation’. Patel sought permission for leave from the university in a letter dated July 10. The head of the Sociology department granted his request and forwarded it to the higher authorities. But the application got stuck in the countless files piling up in the Vice-Chancellor’s office.
Despite repeated attempts, the reporter could not contact V-C Parimal Trivedi.
Patel said, “I was planning to conduct research with the Gujarat Vidyapith Tribal Training Centre. I met the Vice-Chancellor and the Registrar several times. They did not refuse to grant me leave, but they never approved my application either. All the cost is being borne by the UGC, the University has got nothing to lose. Why then am I being treated in this manner?”
As time passed, Patel began getting desperate. He met Education minister Ramanlal Vora on August 10. Vora wrote two letters — on August 10 and August 16 — asking University officials to grant Patel leave. However, nothing happened. Fed up, Patel — who belongs to the Scheduled Tribe category — wrote to the National Commission for Scheduled Tribes on August 21.
In his letter, he accused Vice-Chancellor Parimal Trivedi of harbouring prejudice against him because he belonged to the ST category. He asked the Commission to take action in this matter under provisions of the SC and ST Atrocities Act. Within 10 days, the Commission wrote to the Registrar, seeking an action taken report in this connection. The Commission had granted 30 days for the task.
The professor said, “It has been more than a month. No one has even discussed the matter at the university. The authorities even ignored a minister’s order. My work would have brought honour to the University. But no one seems to care. Recently, there was a conference on sociology in Srinagar. I was not allowed to attend it. It was just a matter of two days.”
Patel is in a race against time. “The application for the award is released every four years. I am 48 years old and will retired in another two years. If I miss this opportunity now, I will be the end for me. The University has nothing to lose. For me, it means the end of my career.”
On Saturday, Patel got a chance to meet the UGC Chairman who was on a visit to Ahmedabad. He submitted an application seeking time to accept the award. Whether it is accepted, only time will tell.
By Yogesh Avasthi
Posted On Wednesday, October 07, 2009 (Ahmedabad Mirror : http://www.ahmedabadmirror.com/index.aspx?Page=article§name=News%20-%20City§id=3&contentid=2009100720091007031118218b9324d6e)
Dr Jhaver C Patel can see the opportunity of a lifetime pass before his eyes but there’s little he can do about it. The UGC awarded Patel a two-year post-doctoral scholarship. But Patel, a reader with GU’s Sociology department, will have to forego the ‘rarest of rare opportunity’ of his career as the university has not granted him duty leave to conduct the research.
In a letter issued on July 2, the UGC gave Patel 45 days to accept a research project on ‘Koldha Tribals — Culture and Transformation’. Patel sought permission for leave from the university in a letter dated July 10. The head of the Sociology department granted his request and forwarded it to the higher authorities. But the application got stuck in the countless files piling up in the Vice-Chancellor’s office.
Despite repeated attempts, the reporter could not contact V-C Parimal Trivedi.
Patel said, “I was planning to conduct research with the Gujarat Vidyapith Tribal Training Centre. I met the Vice-Chancellor and the Registrar several times. They did not refuse to grant me leave, but they never approved my application either. All the cost is being borne by the UGC, the University has got nothing to lose. Why then am I being treated in this manner?”
As time passed, Patel began getting desperate. He met Education minister Ramanlal Vora on August 10. Vora wrote two letters — on August 10 and August 16 — asking University officials to grant Patel leave. However, nothing happened. Fed up, Patel — who belongs to the Scheduled Tribe category — wrote to the National Commission for Scheduled Tribes on August 21.
In his letter, he accused Vice-Chancellor Parimal Trivedi of harbouring prejudice against him because he belonged to the ST category. He asked the Commission to take action in this matter under provisions of the SC and ST Atrocities Act. Within 10 days, the Commission wrote to the Registrar, seeking an action taken report in this connection. The Commission had granted 30 days for the task.
The professor said, “It has been more than a month. No one has even discussed the matter at the university. The authorities even ignored a minister’s order. My work would have brought honour to the University. But no one seems to care. Recently, there was a conference on sociology in Srinagar. I was not allowed to attend it. It was just a matter of two days.”
Patel is in a race against time. “The application for the award is released every four years. I am 48 years old and will retired in another two years. If I miss this opportunity now, I will be the end for me. The University has nothing to lose. For me, it means the end of my career.”
On Saturday, Patel got a chance to meet the UGC Chairman who was on a visit to Ahmedabad. He submitted an application seeking time to accept the award. Whether it is accepted, only time will tell.
