84% of sanctioned faculty posts vacant in Ludhiana’s govt colleges

With no recruitments for the past 16 years, 84% of the sanctioned posts for faculty at five government colleges in Ludhiana are currently lying vacant.

A sixth college, Government College, Ludhiana (east), does not have even a single sanctioned post—not even for the principal. It is, therefore, taken care of by the principal of Satish Chander Dhawan (SCD) Government College.

The recruitments had been stalled in 2003 due a pending litigation in the Punjab and Haryana high court. In the absence of regular staff, the colleges started hiring guest faculty members, who, as per sources, are not qualified for the posts.

To be hired as a lecturer in a college, a candidate has to either clear the National Eligibility Test (NET) or hold a PhD degree. For the post of an assistant professor, both PhD and NET are compulsory.

But authorities are said to have ignored these rules while recruiting the guest lecturers, thereby leaving an adverse impact on the quality of education at these colleges. This, sources say, has led to more and more students opting for higher studies abroad, or at least in other states.

SCD Government College

The SCD Government College, which is celebrating 100 years of inception, has 131 sanctioned posts, the highest among all colleges in the district. But only 25 of these posts have been filled up. Many of its teachers are also required to take classes for the Government College, Ludhiana (east), the building of which is still under construction.

Baba Sheehan Singh Gill Govt College, Sidhsar

The college has strength of 115 students and offers only the Bachelor of Arts course. Of the seven sanctioned posts in the college, only one has been filled up.

Government College for Girls

Established in 1943, the college is a premier institute for girls’ education. It offers 15 courses at the undergraduate and postgraduate level and has 89 sanctioned posts. But as of now, there are only 20 teachers on regular posts. The college has 51 guest faculty members and a few part-timers, who shoulder a major chunk of the day-to-day activities of the college.

Government College, Karamsar

Government College, Karamsar, which caters to the needs of students in rural areas, was established in 1969. The college offers three courses -- Bachelor of Arts, Bachelor of Commerce and Bachelor of Science. It has 23 sanctioned posts, of which only two have been filled up.

With a student strength of 750, the college largely depends on its 19 guest faculty members for course completion.

Government College of Science, Education and Research, Jagraon

The Government College of Science Education and Research, Jagraon, was started to provide science education up to postgraduate-level. The college was established in 1968 and provides science education to meritorious rural and semi-urban youth. The college has 39 posts of regular faculty but only three teachers on these posts. There are three part-timers too while the rest are guest faculty.

Why recruitment was stopped

During the tenure of former Punjab Public Service Commission chairman Ravi Inder Singh Sidhu, who was arrested by the vigilance bureau for corruption in recruitments in 2002, the personnel department had cancelled the selection of college lecturers through a notification on May 16, 2003. The move was challenged by 69 selected candidates who filed different writ petitions in the Punjab and Haryana high court (HC). In reply, the HC had imposed a stay on the recruitment of regular lecturers in 2003 and directed the state to first decide the fate of petitioners. The education department then started hiring guest faculty to conduct the classes. In June this year, the court gave its judgment, and found the 61college lecturers eligible. The stay on recruitments was also removed.

Barjinder Singh Tohra, president of government college teachers’ association, Punjab, said, “We have been seeking the filling up of the posts for a long time now. But the higher education department hasn’t done anything. Regular appointments are important to uplift the level of higher education.”

Secretary, higher education and languages, Rahul Bhandari said, “We have received the cabinet approval for fresh recruitment of regular staff and the case is being sent to Punjab Public Service Commission. The recruitment process by PPSC will start shortly.”