Guest faculty, research scholars run Panjab University undergraduate course

The Institute of Social Science Education and Research (ISSER) of Panjab University, which was established with much fanfare in 2015, is being managed by guest faculty members and research scholars.

The department, which provides integrated bachelors and masters programme options to students after class XII, is one of its kind as no social sciences department in the university offers undergraduate courses. In fact, there has never been a designated coordinator for the department and teachers from other departments are given the charge.

The department, which has around 200 students, has just eight designated teachers, all guest faculty members. Roughly, the same number of research scholars from different social sciences departments come to teach the students.

According to university officials, the department was supposed to have regular faculty members from different departments of social sciences for teaching students. “During the initial stage after establishment, some faculty members from other departments took interest in teaching students here, but now only research scholars are asked to teach and hardly any regular faculty member comes here,” said a university official.

It is important to note that the university is already reeling under staff shortage. While processes to hire regular staff members is underway and few have been hired lately, it is still a long way to fill 1,334 sanctioned faculty strength.

Prof Simrit Kahlon, who was the coordinator of the department, said the core social science departments were also facing staff crunch. “The teachers from social sciences departments have to accord priority to their departments before paying attention to the ISSER. The problem will end with hiring of more staff,” Kahlon said.

Commenting on the need to have a full-time designated coordinator for the department, a senior university teacher said while every teacher in the university was capable of managing the affairs of the ISSER, it needed someone who does not have a responsibility towards any other department.