Kurukshetra University may lose Rs 100-crore central grant

Vishal Joshi

Tribune News Service

Kurukshetra, July 31

Kurukshetra University (KU) is likely to lose a Central grant of Rs 100 crore on account of low strength of regular teachers on its rolls.

Vice-Chancellor KC Sharma told The Tribune that the availability of 70 per cent regular teachers in all teaching departments was a key prerequisite to get special financial aid announced in May by the Ministry of Human Resource Development (MHRD).

“Various teaching departments at KU have an average shortfall of 35 per cent. A few humanities departments have up to 70 per cent fewer teachers than the sanctioned posts. Since KU is not fulfilling this precondition, we fear losing funds,” he said.

He said the appointment of teachers was a major issue that was not redressed on priority by state governments in the past two decades. He clarified that KU had to suspend the recruitment process midway in July due to directions of the University Grants Commission (UGC).

“In the first phase, we had started the exercise to fill 132 posts--57 assistant professors, 52 associate professors and 23 professors. Since the MHRD had filed a special leave petition in the Supreme Court regarding implementation of the reservation policy, instructions were issued by the UGC a few days ago to universities funded by the Centre to indefinitely postpone hiring of teachers,” said Sharma.

As per internal assessment of the university in 2017-18, the KU had sanctioned 385 posts of teachers in budgeted courses and 179 under the self-finance scheme. Official sources said KU had 262 faculty members on contract for the past several years and the university needed to fill the posts with regular staff.

Facing a financial crunch due to low funding by the state government, KU was pinning hopes on the financial grant by the Centre. Sources said the long-pending requirement of infrastructural development and strengthening research activities on the campus was set to hit the campus.

On March 20, the UGC accorded full autonomy to 62 higher educational institutions across India, including KU, in recognition of high academic standards. On May 26, the MHRD approved a grant of Rs 100 crore for infrastructural development at KU.

A senior functionary said as KU had been facing a financial crunch for the last several years, the university had submitted a proposal for Rs 162 crore to the Centre, but the MHRD agreed to allocate Rs 100 crore.