Faculty cannot pursue full time course while teaching says Madras High Court

Deprecating the practice of a teacher or professor pursuing a full time course while simultaneously working as a faculty member, the Madras High Court has made it clear that it cannot be permitted without prior permission from the university or college concerned.

“The university/institution and the recognition authorities must ensure that no teacher/professor is permitted to do the full time course without obtaining prior permission from the University/College.

“Otherwise, that will give a wrong signal and that for the sake of convenience, the student may be asked to be a Professor for the purpose of showing the strength and the institution may get the approval/recognition from AICTE and simultaneously allow them to study full time course. This practise is deprecated,” the court said. Justice S Vaidyanathan stated this in his recent order while upholding the decision of the Controller of Examinations, who nullified all exams in which a woman faculty member of S A Polytechnic College appeared.

Petitioner P Shanmughavalli submitted that she got admission for a two-year Mechanical Engineering course in Anna University for the 2014-16 academic year and got employed as a lecturer in the College, during which she applied for leave to appear for four semester examinations. She was relieved from the post by in 2015 and issued a show cause notice for alleged violation of rules on the grounds that she was working as a teaching faculty on a full-time basis while at the same time pursuing the course.

The petitioner, in her reply, said she had to take the semester examinations.

The Controller of Examinations in an April 2017 order nullified all the examinations taken by the petitioner. Shanmughavalli then moved the High Court, which dismissed her petition, noting that she had joined the course in 2014 and applied for leave in the midst of the course. Even thereafter, without any sanction/permission, she continued the course, the court said.

Moreover, she has pursued the full time M.E. course while simultaneously working as a full time faculty member,which the relevant rules of Anna University do not permit and was not valid in the eye of law, the court said.

The degree, if any obtained, is void, the judge said and directed the petitioner to re-do the course afresh.