Osmania University, which has been the nerve center of agitation for separate Statehood, is facing severe faculty shortage in the entire department as the new government has not yet made any decision regarding the recruitment of fresh staff. Students are complaining about this problem for a long time and several representations were also given by them in the past. Sadly, the current strength at the university is only half of the prescribed number.
Research scholars observed that if the current situation continues for few more months, the university may even lose grants from the University Grants Commission in the next academic year. The university needs almost 1,320 professors which include assistant professors, associate professors and professors to meet the UGC guidelines. As of now the varsity is functioning with merely 590 professors in all the departments across the campus.
“Each department needs six faculty members, but most of the departments have been functioning with either three or only one professor,” said a senior faculty member. The required number of professors in 23 departments functioning from the Arts College is 138, with only 70 functioning, equaling it to half the original strength. The crisis has been prevailing at the university for a long time and worsening every year due to the retirement of a large number of professors.
The condition of other departments of the varsity is also the same. In department of geophysics, the number of professors is four against a sanctioned strength of 24 posts, it is eight against 21 posts in Geology, six against 16 posts in Sociology, nine against 20 posts in Public Administration, one against 20 posts in Ancient Indian history, four against 16 in Hindi department and six against 18 in Biomedical engineering department.
This situation is not new to the varsity, but most of the figures have been the same or else decreased by few more numbers compared to previous year. The Psychology department was about to getting down to the zero, after the lone professor retired last year, but varsity recruited two assistant professors to keep the department running. The UGC instructed all the varsities to fulfill the required criteria for grants by June this year, failing which the university may lose grant from UGC.
The commission asked the varsities to recruit qualified faculty members in required number as prescribed by it. Most of the faculty members in OU are contract employees who do not have the desired qualification like National Eligibility Test (NET) and PhD degrees, affecting the academics. The university authorities are blaming the State government, for not providing proper finances.
A senior professor from the university said that if government does not increase the block grants for university, it cannot recruit qualified professors. He said, “The pay scales for regular professors and assistant professors as prescribed by the UGC are very high and the varsity needs lot of funds. To avoid this, varsity authorities decided to take contact employees.”
Research scholars observed that if the current situation continues for few more months, the university may even lose grants from the University Grants Commission in the next academic year. The university needs almost 1,320 professors which include assistant professors, associate professors and professors to meet the UGC guidelines. As of now the varsity is functioning with merely 590 professors in all the departments across the campus.
“Each department needs six faculty members, but most of the departments have been functioning with either three or only one professor,” said a senior faculty member. The required number of professors in 23 departments functioning from the Arts College is 138, with only 70 functioning, equaling it to half the original strength. The crisis has been prevailing at the university for a long time and worsening every year due to the retirement of a large number of professors.
The condition of other departments of the varsity is also the same. In department of geophysics, the number of professors is four against a sanctioned strength of 24 posts, it is eight against 21 posts in Geology, six against 16 posts in Sociology, nine against 20 posts in Public Administration, one against 20 posts in Ancient Indian history, four against 16 in Hindi department and six against 18 in Biomedical engineering department.
This situation is not new to the varsity, but most of the figures have been the same or else decreased by few more numbers compared to previous year. The Psychology department was about to getting down to the zero, after the lone professor retired last year, but varsity recruited two assistant professors to keep the department running. The UGC instructed all the varsities to fulfill the required criteria for grants by June this year, failing which the university may lose grant from UGC.
The commission asked the varsities to recruit qualified faculty members in required number as prescribed by it. Most of the faculty members in OU are contract employees who do not have the desired qualification like National Eligibility Test (NET) and PhD degrees, affecting the academics. The university authorities are blaming the State government, for not providing proper finances.
A senior professor from the university said that if government does not increase the block grants for university, it cannot recruit qualified professors. He said, “The pay scales for regular professors and assistant professors as prescribed by the UGC are very high and the varsity needs lot of funds. To avoid this, varsity authorities decided to take contact employees.”
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