State higher education in dire need of target intervention

Moving to GECs in the state,only 4 of the 14 in Gujarat have permanent principals. These are L D Engineering College,Ahmedabad; GEC Chand Kheda; GEC Rajkot; and Shantilal Shah Engineering College,Bhavnagar. Similar vacancies (though of varying magnitude) have been observed in the 14 GECs for the post of professor and assistant professor. The RTI reply indicates a vacancy of about 50 per cent in professor posts,around 30 per cent in assistant professor posts and nearly 35 per cent for the post of lecturers,in these 14 colleges.

Gujarat Technological University Vice-Chancellor Prof M N Patel,when asked about the pending vacancies,said: “We have recruited around 1,100 ad-hoc lecturers and around 35 assistant professors over the last six months to fill up these posts in the GECs. The rest will be filled up soon. Regarding the vacancies of professors ,the existing norms demand that the candidate must have a doctorate degree and such candidates are very difficult to find.”

Patel also acknowledged that only four GECs have permanent appointees as principals. He added: “All the other 10 GECs have principal in-charges,who can’t be promoted for the same reason of non-fulfilment of minimum basic qualification.”

Similar is the reason for the large number of vacancies in the HoD posts in the GPCs,he added.

“At present,the process of recruitment goes through the Gujarat Public Service Commission (GPSC),delaying the entire exercise. The government is planning to set up a recruiting body,to be called ‘Staff Recruitment Board’,which will help expedite the matter,” he added.

A similar situation prevails in the four government B.Ed colleges in the state,located at Vansda in Navsari; Mahua in Surat; Naswadi in Vadodara and Megharaj in Sabarkantha.

H C Patel,Joint Director,Commissionerate of Higher Education,Gujarat,said,these colleges do not have any permanent lecturer appointees as of now. “We are managing with about 20 lecturers from various government degree colleges,who are on deputation,” he added.

Patel further said that the government is yet to frame ‘Recruitment Rules’ for appointing B.Ed college lecturers.

“The process is on and as soon as it is completed,the department of higher education will approach GPSC for necessary clearance,” he added.