Lead story: Despite 82% faculty crunch, dental college drags on

It is nothing short of a miracle that even with 82 per cent posts of faculty members, including those of Professors, Associate Professors and Assistant Professors, lying vacant, Government Dental College and Hospital here has not been derecognised by the Dental Council of India.

Sources in the college revealed that every year the state government gives an affidavit to the council that all shortcomings, including faculty shortage, would be removed to save the college from being derecognised.

Disturbingly, the state of medical education of 250 students enrolled in the BDS and nearly 15 in the MDS courses can be assessed from the fact that four out of the total 10 departments at the college do not have a single teacher. Further, three departments are running with single teachers.

Apart from affecting academics and patient care, the premier dentistry institute, established in 1952, is also unable to enrol students in masters’ courses as the number of postgraduate students, who get admission to any college, has a direct correlation with the number of senior faculty members available.

The senior faculty acts as academic guides for the postgraduate students. For each professor, the college can enrol two postgraduate students, while one each can be enrolled for number of associate professors and assistant professors. Inability to enrol more students in MDS courses also causes loss of revenue.

Jagdish Thakur, general secretary Punjab State Ministerial Staff Union who is also an employee at the college said, “Faculty shortage has gone from bad to worse as employees are retiring and no efforts are being made for new recruitments.” Thakur said that apart from faculty, there are staff shortages in administrative departments.

From nearly 40 per cent faculty shortage in year 2010 to 60 per cent in year 2018, it had touched peak last year, with shortage reaching 86 per cent last year. However, with the college getting two faculty members under the PCMS quota recently, it still has a long way to go.

Principal Renu Bala Sroa said the college had apprised the Directorate of Health and Medical Education of the situation. A letter was again forwarded few days ago. “We have been promised that more faculty members would join soon,” she said.

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