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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Experience comes when you play bigger teams in bilateral series: Rashid Khan
Chennai (PTI): Afghanistan skipper Rashid Khan called for more bilateral series against stronger cricketing nations after his team signed off from the T20 World Cup on a high, defeating Canada in their final group match here on Thursday.
Afghanistan played some exhilarating cricket, going down to South Africa in a gripping second Super Over after the scores were tied, a humdinger that provided one of the early thrills of the World Cup.
However, the spin-bowling stalwart said Afghanistan could make significant strides if they get regular opportunities to compete against stronger cricketing nations.
"Couple of areas to improve, with the batting, the middle order got a bit stuck against the big teams, and then with the bowling the death overs. That comes when you play the bigger teams in bilateral series," said Rashid after his team defeat Canada by 82 runs, with him returning excellent figures of 2 for 19.
The stalwart said the side had arrived well prepared for the tournament and produced some breathtaking cricket, but admitted the narrow defeat to South Africa proved costly and remained a painful setback.
"We were well-prepared (for the tournament), we played some unbelievable cricket. The game against South Africa, that really hurt everyone. We had to win one of those (first two) games and see how the tournament unfolded. We'll take some positive things from this World Cup and look forward," he said.
With head coach Jonathan Trott set to part ways with the team, Rashid described the departure as an "emotional" moment for the side.
"I think we had some wonderful times with him. Where we are now, he played a main role. It's emotional to see him leave us, but that's how life is. We wish him all the best and somewhere down the line we see him again."
Ibrahim Zadran, who was named Player of the Match for his unbeaten 95 off 56 balls, said it was satisfying to finally register a substantial score after two below-par outings.
"I enjoyed it, didn't play better cricket in first two innings, which I expect. Wanted to back my skills, really enjoyed it. Pressure was there, it's there all the time. I want to put myself in pressure situations and enjoy it," said Zadran.
"Wanted to play positive cricket, rotate strike and punish bad ball, create partnerships and this is what I have done."
