Over 2,000 posts vacant in 188 colleges

In the recently held Panjab University Senate meeting, Senators representing PU-affiliated colleges, including aided and government colleges, informed PU Vice-Chancellor Prof Arun Kumar of the apathy of the colleges in filling up vacant teaching positions.

They contended that a large number of vacant posts of teaching faculty in the colleges, affiliated to Panjab University (PU), had crippled the quality of the education being imparted in these institutes.

Panjab University has 188 affiliated colleges spread across the state. According to the official information around 900 posts are lying vacant in the aided colleges and around 1,300 in government colleges. With retirement of the staff, the number of vacant posts are increasing each year.

"As per the UGC guidelines, 90 per cent of the staff in the colleges should be regular, but the large number of vacant posts has really brought down the quality of the education. This staff shortage has resulted in ad hocism. These 900 and 1300 vacant posts are doing nothing but effecting the students," said Dr Jagwant Singh, vice president , All India Federation of University and Colleges Teachers Organisation (AIFUCO).

When asked whether the V-C has called a meeting to discuss issues related to colleges, he said that the meeting will most probably take place in March.

Syndic R P Josh said: "We have asked the V-C to conduct a meeting with the Punjab authorities for filling up the posts. Large number of vacant posts have marred the quality of education."

Prof Grover has assured the colleges that he would be taking up the issue with the state government. Already, he had said that the next senate meeting would be attended by the Director Public Instructions (Colleges) of Punjab and UT Administration.

However as per sources, PU is just an academic body to provide affiliations and conduct exams, it is the duty of the Punjab government to fill the posts. Senators have asked the varsity authorities to talk to the Punjab government to start the process of recruitment Meanwhile, perturbed over the ways by which the Punjab government authorities and National Council for Teacher Education (NCTE) are granting no objection certificates (NOCs) to the BEd colleges despite the fact that a majority of them are violating University Grants Commission (UGC) norms, university and state guidelines, the varsity had written to NCTE to take action against all such colleges, however it is doing hardly anything to fill the posts lying vacant since ages.

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