THE JHARKHAND STORY NETWORK
Daltonganj, March 20: Higher education in Nilamber Pitamber University is in shambles. The teaching of the lone tribal language Kurukh is shut for want of a teacher as the man who used to teach this Dravidian language Prof Kailash Oraon has retired. So is the fate of many mainstream departments where there are students only but not a single teacher.
Zero-teacher departments on the rise
‘Zero teacher’ (no assistant professor, no contractual teacher, no need-based teacher) departments are quite in good numbers in the Nilamber Pitamber University in Daltonganj.
The English department in the J S College has fallen totally vacant following the retirement of its lone teacher M K Srivastav this February 28. Similarly, there is zero teacher department in subjects like psychology and philosophy in the J S College.
Nilamber Pitamber University’s flagship college, GLA in Daltonganj, is facing a severe shortage of faculty, with departments like economics, botany, and psychology lacking even a single teacher. Both GLA College and University offer postgraduate courses in these subjects, but due to the absence of teaching staff, students from undergraduate to postgraduate levels are left without instruction.
The parents of affected students have expressed their deep concern, calling it a shameful situation for the university that postgraduate students remain untaught.
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Vice-Chancellor calls it a ‘Big Academic Fraud’
Vice-Chancellor of the Nilamber Pitamber University Dr Prof Dinesh Kumar Singh told this correspondent, “Soon after I assumed the office of the VC of this university on March 3, I visited JS College.” It’s zero teacher department in English, philosophy, psychology here. It’s a tragic situation”. There are students in each of these subjects where there is none to teach them he conceded. The VC countered, “What kind of graduates are we going to produce?”
On being asked if this situation where a department exists, students are enrolled but there is no teacher to teach is not like a big academic fraud to which VC said in no unequivocal tone, “I say it’s like a big academic fraud. The university can’t play false with its students.”
He said, “I wouldn’t be any surprised or shocked if the students or their parents drag the university to the court for such a gross deficiency in teaching.”
339 posts of assistant professors vacant
A total of 339 posts of assistant professors are vacant at this university. There are 436 sanctioned posts of assistant professors here against which 97 are ‘regular’ (here regular means not contractual, not needed based assistant professors) assistant professors, said university officials.
Nilamber Pitamber University has one more dubious distinction. It has no Professor despite 21 sanctioned posts of the professors here.
Similarly, 54 posts of the associate professors are vacant. Here assistant professors double up as in charge head of the PG departments, dean of various faculties etc.
Commenting on this pathetic condition of the fragile strength of the teachers in the university VC Dr Dinesh Kumar Singh said, “I am in touch with the senior officials of the state higher education department. The government is serious about these issues.”
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Possible solution: Rehiring retired professors
Some retired teachers in this university, preferring to be un-named said, “The crunch of teachers can be overcome by the retired teachers who are willing to re-start their second innings of teaching.” Retired teachers are pensioners already and hence their credentials for being teachers are not to be assayed any more.
The retired teachers cited the examples of the retired range officers in the forest department who are being taken into the job again as in the forest department there is an identical crisis of range officers.
Again many senior government officials of the rank of the chief secretary in Jharkhand have been re-employed with decent pay and perks. There should not be any hesitation in bringing back the retired teachers again into the fold of teaching.
No hell would fall if the retired teachers are put in place till the posts of the baseline of teaching in colleges and PG departments that are assistant professors are filled by the JPSC.
