Report ।। Shozab Muneer
Aligarh , AMU has witnessed holding of just two seminar by the Centre for Promotion of Science (CPS) in more than five years establishing its academic profile. The Centre, was established during the tenure of professor M.N. Farooqui as Vice Chancellor. All hopes were pinned on the Centre expecting Promotion of Science. According to the rules, a Director of the Centre is appointed, whose duties include formulating programs to further the objectives of the Centre which include the spreading of awareness of (i) the importance of scientific knowledge, (ii) popularising and cultivating its advancement, (iii) promoting the teaching of science in madarsas, and (iv) improving the quality of science teaching in Urdu medium/Muslim managed institutions.
In an RTI reply its inform that the Director of the Centre is Mr Naseem A. Khan appointed from July 2, 2019. Readers’ of Times of Taj will recall the same person has also been appointment as Director of Centre for Promotion of Educational and Cultural advancement of Muslims of India (CPECAMI), the character is the same. The appointment of the former was made through OM number (C) 1642 dated July 2, 2019, i.e. four and 1 years ago, whereas the rule provides that the Director shall be appointed for a period of four years. However as in the case of CPECAMI, in the CPS too the Director continues to function, including financially, without an order, the story is the same.
Interestingly, AMU also appointed the Director as the CPIO ignoring the ‘principle of conflict of interest’. The reply to the RTI is fraught, according to the appeal of the information seeker, with attempts not to provide information, to provide incomplete information. As in the case of CPECAMI the University sanctioned 4.89 lacs for each session 2021-22, 22-23, 23-24 and 24-25, and further for infrastructure 2 lacs and one lac from OSD Development, the session of the sanctioning is not specified. The total amount sanctioned is 22.56 lacs. As in the case of CPECAMI here too the utilisation has not been provided, the story is exactly the same, the person is the same and manner the university is acting in the same.
The RTI reply is that only two workshops were held in the last five years to promote science, the basic function of the Centre, and that too only for madarsas, fulfilling only one objective of the Centre, ignoring the other three. The question arises, is the centre only for madrasas or for promotion of science in the society comprising a secular ethos?
The funds mentioned in the RTI reply for the workshops are 30 thousand by the Vice Chancellor and 10 thousand by the Manager Dawakhana Tibiya College, AMU. In short, the total amount sanctioned to the centre in the last six years is 22.90 lacs. As in the case of CPECAMI, the Director is shying away from providing information on expenditure and it appears the University is oblivious, the story is the same.
Amazingly the Director is functioning without an order for the two centres, the story of CPS is a replay of CPECAMI and the button of accountably on the keyboard of University administration has failed. Is it because of the same reason as in the CPECAMI?
The MIC PRO was approached both telephonically and through WhatsApp message regarding the reason in the matter. However, no reply was received till the publication of this news.
