3 months on, shortage of teachers continues

HYDERABAD: Three months after deputy chief minister and education minister Kadiyam Srihari's assurance that all vacant teaching posts in 10 state universities will be filled, the status quo continues.
The government had announced that it would begin the recruitment process of teachers simultaneously with the appointment of vice-chancellors. Turns out, it does not have any plans to begin the process soon.
“The government will only begin the recruitment of teachers once all the vicechancellors are appointed.The universities will then issue notifications seeking applications for vacant teachers' posts,“ said T Papi Reddy, chairman of Telangana State Council of Higher Education.
In a meeting held with the registrars of all universities in September last year, Kadiyam Srihari had assured that all the vacant teaching posts in universities will be filled within three months. The decision was provoked by fears of being denied central funds.
“It's been almost two decades since fresh recruitments took place. As a result, universities are lagging in terms of financial as well as academic discipline. In the next three months, the universities have to submit details of the sanctioned as well as vacant posts, based on which the government shall initiate the recruitment process,“ Srihari had reportedly said.
The government's delay has put at risk the the National Assessment and Accreditation Council (NAAC) grade.University teachers also fear that it may cause a cut in funds under central government's Rashtriya Uchchatar Shiksha Abhiyan scheme.
“A lot of departments in state universities have already stopped getting developmental funds from the University Grants Commission due to shortage of teachers.We hope that in the next twothree months, the government fills all the vacant posts to improve the standards of universities which are reeling under major financial crisis,“ said Battu Satyanarayana, president of Telangana State Federation of University Teachers Association.