Staff shortage hits academic affairs of government colleges

JAMMU: The initiative to engage eligible candidates as Lecturers/Teaching Assistants/Librarians and Physical Training Instructors (PTIs)/Assistants on an academic arrangement basis for the academic session 2015-16 did not yield any result as Government Degree Colleges (GDCs) of the winter capital city are still facing the shortage of faculty in various subjects to run academic affairs due to non-joining of candidates who were selected after the counselling held recently.

Vikas Sharma

Tribune News Service

Jammu, August 30

The initiative to engage eligible candidates as Lecturers/Teaching Assistants/Librarians and Physical Training Instructors (PTIs)/Assistants on an academic arrangement basis for the academic session 2015-16 did not yield any result as Government Degree Colleges (GDCs) of the winter capital city are still facing the shortage of faculty in various subjects to run academic affairs due to non-joining of candidates who were selected after the counselling held recently.

Sources said the Higher Education Department in order to fill vacancies in various subjects on an academic arrangement basis in GDCs of the Jammu Division had invited applications from eligible candidates having NET/SLET/PhD.

They said a selection committee was constituted to conduct a written screening test for all the eligible candidates. However, the candidates with NET/SLET/PhD were exempted from the screening test.

During the three-day counseling, which was held in July at GGM Science College, more than 4,500 applications were received against tentative vacancies of 836 for academic arrangements in 37 subjects in various colleges of the Jammu Division.

The sources further said the candidates were selected by the committee during the counseling but some of the candidates who were not selected had approached the state High Court. Due to this, the selected candidates for academic arrangement could not join their respective colleges.

“What to talk of making academic arrangements in colleges of other districts of the Jammu Division, even GDCs situated in the centre of Jammu city are facing difficulties in running academic session 2015-16 due to staff shortage,” a source said.

“Ever since the new academic session began, there are no regular classes being held due to non-availability of lecturer of a particular subject. Permanent faculty of the colleges are being requested to take additional lectures so that the syllabus can be completed well in time,” he said.

Dr Ajeet Angral, Principal, GGM Science College, and Nodal Principal of all city degree colleges, when contacted, told The Tribune that there were some difficulties in running academic affairs in the colleges.

“Though there is sufficient staff in city colleges to deal with any situation, the problem persists to some extent. I am hopeful that the matter will be sorted out soon,” Dr Angral maintained.