3 Idiots and 1 Stupid

Shakhenbi Chanu *

** This letter has been sent to the Editor of one of the news papers in Manipur. But it has not been picked up and published so far even when many requests have been made at the end of the letter. ****. Perhaps it may be due to my poor vocabulary they reluctant to publish. But, editors are born to look after all those minor mistakes and to make necessary corrections.

Anyway, the letter is now reproduced and submitted to the respected editor with a special request to make it see the light of the day. I shall ever pray if you kindly publish it with modifications if any, at your end. I leave all freedom to you for editing my article.

At the very outset, I would like to present my brief introduction so as to make the discussion open and further intimacy in this regard. I was born to a very poor family in a small village in Jiribam sub division of Imphal East District. Now, I am planning to do Ph. D. in social science in a university based at the outskirts of Chennai. From the very young age, I wanted to be a teacher, specially a college teacher simply because I love this profession. It has been influenced by my uncle who is also a teacher in a college.

The issue of appointment of college principals becomes a talk of the town not only in Imphal but also in outskirts of Chennai where I used to stay in a rented house. When I enquired of my uncle about the same it has been understood that there was a hue and cry over the issue from college teachers only after the UGC nominated expert made a decision to select only three in the assessment of API submitted by such 49 candidates for the 25 posts of principals.

But, I was surprised to hear from him that out of such 49 candidates who have already had experience of 15 years of teaching in their respective colleges as teachers only those three candidates could claim API more than 400 points but the rest of them not even half of 400 points, some of them not even a single document supporting the API claimed, some submitted their documents in a haphazard manner as if they are not aware anything of the guidelines.

When I read the discussion in the newspapers, it seems as if teachers and the editors who criticized the successful candidates do not even understand the very abbreviation API, sometimes it is seen written as annual performance index, sometimes academic performance index, some annual performance indicatory etc. so many mistakes which seems horrible. Most of them seem confused between promotion and direct recruitment processes, things are not clear at all. It is better to go through at least once the 139 pages of the UGC guidelines 2010 before criticizing others in the news papers or public forum. Some are still treating the selection as promotion; some, even noted editors, have got major mistakes and blackmailed the people stating as if it was a selection through promotion only.

But, college principals as per the latest UGC guidelines must be appointed only through direct recruitment. In the process of direct recruitment these issues are often created only by those people who could not get through. This is quite evident from the fact that the 49 applicants did not say anything when they were issued admit cards under the condition that they should score the minimum API as set out in the UGC guidelines 2010. But they began to raise the issue only after their API has been checked and only three were declared qualified for the interview.

It is a common sense of people that there are no other suitable candidates more than these three candidates and hence, they are declared qualified for the DPC even when the number of posts is 25. If there were more than these three, what is the harm in joining all of them in the DPC? The discussion is not on the issue that all the posts were filled in and nothing has left for those who are crying. The issue is about the selected three only. This simply implies that the teachers and the editors do not want to get these three selected. Okay, it is agreed. Let them not be selected. Then who are going to be selected for the DPC? Shall all those who do not claim the minimum API be selected leaving behind these three who claim more than the minimum API? It seems as if they are so furious for the reason only three are selected for the 25 posts. If the MPSC intended to select only three principals why they issue notification for 25 posts?

There are two stages in the direct recruitment of college teachers. The first stage is to check the minimum API score for the eligible candidates only and it is nothing to do with whether the candidates may be selected or not in the DPC. This assessment of API claimed by the candidates is mandatory. Those who could not get the minimum API are not allowed to face the DPC which is the second stage of the recruitment. The first stage can be done by a simple clerk or by the head of the institute by holding just a calculator and just to check whether the API claimed by the candidates reach the minimum or beyond the minimum.

If it is beyond the minimum the assessment may involve some plus minus to send up the required number of candidates sufficient for the DPC. The weightages as discussed in the forum are given only in the second stage where all the original documents supporting the API claimed are produced before the interview board, accordingly verified and weitages are given. Now what people like teachers and editors are crying about is not about the second stage but about the first stage only. This is very funny.

The issue of selecting only three is the outcome of the API assessment where only these three were found submitting API well enough to cross the minimum whereas the remaining candidates have not submitted more than the minimum. If one does not submit more than the minimum, what is reason for selecting them? Very surprisingly, the crying teachers or the news editors did not put up any issue regarding irregularities in assessing API among the candidates who have been selected and who have not been selected. None of the crying teacher and news editor raised the issue that they have submitted more than the minimum but has not been selected whereas these three who equally submitted have been selected.

It is good that at least teachers and the news editors begin to aware of the Academic Performance Indicator as set out in the UGC Guidelines 2010. But, in that discussion, no mention is made about the number of posts lying vacant and number of eligible candidates applying for the same posts. It also did not produce the points secured by the left out candidates and the reason why only three were selected while the MPSC issued notification for 25 posts. It seems as if all renowned editors of the soil of Manipur who are treated as the best experts in this field kept their eyes blind on one side and widely open on the another side only. It is just like a nightmare of dolphins that sleep one eye always open.

My letter to those editors went like this.

Out of 49 eligible candidates applying for the said 25 posts of principals, Govt. Colleges, only three were produced on your open forum for discussion and their academic performances were discussed one by one, points by points, looking every nook and corners. I really appreciate your style of criticizing the successful candidates leaving no stone unturned. ************ But, why were the remaining candidates not brought into the picture and compare?

How can one establish irregularities if only one part of the whole has been discussed and not the other part? Or had all those 25 posts were occupied by these three idiots and nothing has been left for their colleagues? Why these three only are considered idiots for unnecessarily working beyond the limits of others and criticized and charged! Why these three idiots are doing at least some academic contributions relevant or not relevant, while all their colleagues who are monthly paid at the same rates are ****************

What the hell these idiots are to make the whole system disturbed, chaos and confusion! What the stupid they do by making everyone hue and cry and even crying shamelessly in the public. What a stupid these idiots are to break the silence of teaching community in Manipur. What a bloody fools they are for making conflict in the very peaceful atmosphere of the college teachers. What a nonsense they are to annoy and make furious to others including media persons and others. How dare these nonsense teachers to serve for the society by taking up such nonsense projects on which credits were given unnecessarily by the experts! What a naughty boys these three idiots are to write even at least ABC Alphabetical Books for the use of the beginners while other their friends are laughing heartily at them, spitting behind them. What a fool they are to write at least a poetry or play to give new message to the society while their colleagues are back biting on them. What nonsense they are to contribute such academic contributions to the society as compared to those knowledgeable teachers who never did so.

But Sir, it will be more interesting and even more wonderful and amazing column of your esteemed newspaper if you kindly collect all documents of those 46 remaining candidates who did not claimed any performance based self appraisal API and suffered the experts to find at least some documents on which marks may be awarded! ***********************

You may kindly highlight and make us understand elaborately as to why the experts who came down a long distance ***** went back without recommending candidates even at least the exact number of candidates for the 25 seats ! The gentleman nominated by the UGC as the right person to do the needful who Tried - Tried again but at last failed to find at least some documents, even at least a piece of that paper as documents or likely to be documents on which marks can be awarded anyhow at least to the minimum of 400 API points by dipping the whole of his pen into ink and writing in bold and even bolder letters to make all candidates eligible and return happily to his home and told his wife and children the glory of Manipur, the land where Maichous were born, the stories of 7 such maichous and get himself proud of recommending all 49 candidates to see their lucks at the DPC for 25 posts.

********

Why they were so reluctant to claim their API at least just up to 401 points anyhow so that they can be awarded 400 points and “1 mark can be omitted” by the experts nominated by the UGC and MPSC. Or, you can insult that **** macha for pretending to be as considerate by picking up only three with as much relaxation as he could. You may also discuss how difficult would the expert faced in finding at least 25 candidates who are equally or more or less the same as these three idiots? Let them be blamed, let that *** macha be more blamed ; let him be even more targeted ; more spoken against; more beaten up to one’s content; more threaten up for claiming his API beyond the limits of others.

What a corrupted Government who could not look after all candidates equally by rejecting all or by selecting all in the API. How corrupted the Minister is for unnecessarily requesting the UGC New Delhi to nominate one such expert who cannot even select candidates for all 25 seats. Why this Commissioner is so corrupted even in corruption by corrupting only three from corruptible twenty-five positions. He must be removed as he is not so expert in corruption. He must be so idiot who corrupts all files of corruption. The corrupter of corruption must always be vanished from the soil of Manipur.

He who tries to root out the corruption must be rooted out. ******

What irregularities the expert made in giving marks to that ****** macha for carrying out a Government Policy Making Document Project while he awarded zeroes to those who did not do or even know about such projects. How irregularities he made in awarding marks to this **** macha for communicating through e-mail one project under *** at this post - postal services era, while no mark was given to those candidates who never ever claimed for such projects communicated even through handwritten letters. How irregularities he made by awarding 10 marks to two documents which were marked “can be omitted” and accordingly omitted the same marks from the total while he could not do so for those candidates who did not claim any such documents for which marks can be omitted.

What irregularities he made in marking for a project benefitted to the State **** Department on the basis of the certificate issued by the Joint Director of **** who at that time was the Superintendent of ****. How stupid the UGC to nominate that nonsense fellow rather than nominating one from among so many experienced teachers in Manipur, so many media persons, so many editors who are all well expert not only in the field but above the field and who are expert far above the UGC and even far above the UGCs in the whole World! How dare that UGC nominated boy to assess API for these 49 candidates belonging to this land of Jewels the land in the world where no one is appreciated rather than selves, where those who never involved in academic contributions can speak as bold as frogs while criticizing those who really contributed and keeps on contributing, where those who could not claim their API not even up to half of the minimum can shamelessly cry openly against those who have already crossed the minimum even after omitting many marks for those documents where the expert marked as “can be omitted”.

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Kindly publish the column in the public interest as your esteemed daily ****. At the last part of your discussion you may kindly include at least one line indicating that API is mandatory for implementing the UGC scales and enhancement of age of superannuation. Those who are selected as Associate Professor should have scored 300 points and those in the status of Professors / Principals at least 400 points. Otherwise their salaries are liable to be refunded to the UGC. Those who violated the standard of Academic Performances should be booked and punished as they are wasting public money. And, one more thing to remind you is that the College teachers are paid much higher than us and also they retire at the age of 65 years while other employees do not do so.

Once again! Please don’t forget to make that column see the light of the day! Also, don’t forget to publish my letter under the title – 3 IDIOTS & 1 STUPID.

With best regards to those who saved the pride of mother Manipur by making a mother of at least three idiots rather than a mother of void! The three idiots must be awarded as they are the real patriots who loved their mother and save her prestige! And, kudos also goes to that stupid from the UGC who deliberately wanted to show that Manipur is not lagging behind in the higher education by finding out anyhow at least three idiots who can obtain 400 points in the API.

Ema Leibaakna Yaiphare!

Yours ever awaiting,

Miss Shakhenbi Chanu
Shakhenbi15(at)gmail(dot)com