Karnataka: Faculty crisis at government-run engineering colleges as 50 percent positions vacant
Bengaluru: Data reveals that half of the faculty positions are vacant in state government engineering colleges, highlighting a concerning situation that is impacting the quality of education and causing these institutions to lose out on valuable central funding.
According to the annual report submitted to the government by the Department of Technical Education, as cited by Deccan Herald on Monday, there are 646 sanctioned faculty positions across 16 government-run engineering colleges, of which 307 remain vacant.
The state higher education department's solution — allowing colleges to hire guest faculty — has compounded the problem in few ways. First, the absence of regular faculty members is hindering the colleges' ability to secure funds from central agencies. Second, this shortage is making it increasingly difficult for the colleges to obtain accreditation from the National Board of Accreditation (NBA).
The development comes against the background of the recent decision of All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE) to reduce the intake of three government colleges by 25 percent, with faculty shortage being cited as one of the main reasons by the committee that inspected the colleges, the report mentioned. These colleges were also forbidden from getting any funds from the central schemes.
"There was no recruitment done after 2010. Even for positions that fell vacant because of retirement, death and voluntary retirement, even to fill those posts, we need to get approval of the Finance Department," an official source from the Higher Education Department told DH.
A principal of a government engineering college said guest faculties come with their issues. He stated that guest faculty members cannot be expected to show long-term commitment. If they receive better salary offers, they may leave mid-year, and they often lack a strong bond with students. For certain subjects, like Computer Science, it is even challenging to find qualified guest faculty.
Not only are teaching positions vacant, but non-teaching roles at government engineering colleges have also remained unfilled for the past 14 years. According to the data, out of 1,150 non-teaching posts, a staggering 1,023 are vacant.
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US–Iran first round direct talks conclude in Islamabad: Report
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The first round of direct talks between the United States and Iran, held in Islamabad, has concluded, Al Jazeera reported citing sources close to the development.
According to the report, following the discussions, delegations from both sides agreed to exchange written documents, a move aimed at ensuring clarity and consensus on the understandings reached during the meeting.
Both the Iranian and US delegations arrived in Islamabad on Saturday, April 11, amid high security for the peace talks.
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