KOCHI: In a bid to boost the quality of teaching and research on its campus, the Cochin University of Science and Technology (Cusat) is going into overdrive in terms of recruitment of permanent faculty to fill vacant slots at the varsity.
Currently there are around 30 vacancies at the entry level of assistant professor alone in different departments, a majority of which are manned by teachers on contract while four are guest lecturers. “We are keen on recruiting permanent faculty at the earliest as it is important to ensure commitment on the part of teachers and ensure quality in teaching,” said Pro-Vice-Chancellor Dr Paulose Jacob.
He said that the varsity hoped to complete the process in two months. “In posts where there are more than 40 applicants, a test and interview will be held while in posts with lesser number of applicants, only an interview will be held,” Mr Jacob said.
“Recruitment is important in getting sponsors for the research projects at the university. Funding agencies from different parts of the world including the industry do not show much interest in the proposals submitted by contract faculty. We are also seeking adjunct faculty in the vacancies in senior positions like professor as part of the UGC’s advice. The adjunct faculty are reputed people that have retired from universities as well as industry. Their services will be useful in research,” he added.
However, the university authorities are a tad worried about the additional financial commitment as higher salaries and other benefits have to be paid to permanent faculty.
The varsity is facing a financial setback with 25 self-financing engineering colleges going from its fold to the newly formed Kerala Technolo-gical University. Self-financing colleges are a key source of revenue for the university.
