Statement of Former Education Minister of Kerala:

Former Education Minister M.A. Baby has stated on July 10, 2008 that a mafia is controlling the purchase of books by libraries in the State. The statement was made in the Legislative Assembly in reply to a submission by Joseph M. Puthussery. The Minister said this lobby of book suppliers made a hefty profit by supplying books at very high prices, offering deep discounts and sharing the commission. The government had intervened in the purchase of books for school libraries to check this mafia. Mr. Baby said the government has not given any direction for purchase of specific books that were irrelevant and profitable to any supplier or allowed violation of purchase rules for large-scale book purchases.  Government has prepared a list for books to be purchased in transparent manner indicating the titles that every school library should have. The Education Minister said the government had prepared the list with the help of a committee comprising officials and experts and after giving sufficient opportunity to publishers to submit their lists, which were evaluated by expert teams for identification of essential titles. The books were to be purchased strictly adhering to purchase rules. Mr Baby also said that schools could be given facility to evaluate and purchase books brought out by reputed publishers in a participative and transparent way. His statement was reported by the Hindu in July 10, 2008 and is available at http://www.hindu.com/2008/07/10/stories/2008071054020400.htm

Mafia and Schools:

Mr Baby has come upon the mafia handling book supplies to schools. Even though government spends a substantial amount for books in schools none of the Schools in Kerala are having qualified librarians. But schools to some extent adhere purchase procedures.

Mafia Preventing Filling Up the Post of University Librarians:

But when we take the universities, funds for book purchases are 10 times more than that is available for schools. Each university spends a minimum of Rs. Five crore per year for library development. This is the major source of income for the mafia groups connected to book purchase in universities. They are so powerful that they could prevent appointing university librarians in all the seven universities of Kerala. In some universities the post is vacant since 1986. Does any one think that if advertised no in India will be qualified to get appointment in the seven University Librarian posts of Kerala.  None of the universities or the Government Colleges of Kerala has appointed a single Assistant Librarian as per UGC norms for selection since 1986. There are numerous qualified librarians for the post of University Librarian. At least forty professionals would have got the benefit of retiring in the post of University Librarian if Kerala posts got filled up since 1986.  Thousands of NET holders are there without jobs or working in non-technical posts. Is the mafia so powerful to prevent them from getting jobs? UGC and Universities are doing a great sin to the higher education system.

Librarians at the Mercy of Mafia:

In any university if the post is filled up any time the incumbents joining there will immediately come into conflict with the mafia unless they are viable to the mafia. Even though University Librarian posts are UGC Posts the appointment and termination is at the hands of the mafia. The best example the fight of the mafia with the university Librarian available at the MG University for a short period who was appointed in accordance with UGC norms, his abrupt termination, attempt to replace him immediately by one of the two incumbents appointed in violation of UGC and other norms by renaming their lower level posts to that of ‘Deputy Librarian’ in UGC Associate Professors Grade without any selection or provision in Acts and Statutes, avoiding their seniors, hasty delegation of purchase powers to them and attempt to purchase books worth crores of rupees violating purchase norms in the cover of a book market named INBOFA visualized by them.

UGC’s Contribution to the Scenario:

UGC should stop providing library funds to universities that go on without a University Librarian appointed strictly in accordance with UGC norms. UGC experts should stop the step motherly attitude towards librarians. Do not prepare different schemes for teachers, librarians and directors of physical education. Define all three categories as academic staff or teachers. Instead of different schemes use a common scheme and common classes applicable to teachers/academic staff which will cover these three categories. Librarians need no relaxation. They are better-qualified and competent to deal with knowledge transfer than any others. Make the qualification, scale of pay, method of recruitment, career advancement the same for three. Don’t specify the same clauses in different sequences for these three categories, which is unnecessary. It enables people to put loopholes, take some benefits from one of the category due to jealous, and do many funny tricks. These different parallel clauses creates complications which could not be settled for the last three four decades.

Poorly Drafted Regulation:

Any legal expert can point show us that UGC Regulation drafted by people at the top level of our higher education and research systems is the poorly drafted regulation in legal terms. Vague, confusing, conflicting, clauses with clauses lying outside the border of regulation unnecessarily extended to three times its length.

Need for Immediate Action:

UGC may examine the situation universities of Kerala, which keeps librarian post vacant since 1986.  The case of one of Kerala’s universities like the MG University under the leadership of a renowned academician whom we all respect can reveal the grave irregularities happening in university library scenario. A serious evaluation of things there can help UGC to frame future policies and revise regulations on Librarians. The vagueness in UGC Regulations on the clauses related to Librarians needs to be rectified. UGC should not provide support for research and library development to universities keeping Librarian post vacant or using irregular methods to fill up the post as done at MG University. If not it will affect the quality of higher education and the expenditure on libraries and ICT systems will help the mafia accumulate their profit and strength