Kakinada: Kakinada-based Jawaharlal Nehru Technological University, the state’s premier engineering varsity, is grappling with an acute shortage of permanent faculty for several courses, including food engineering and English.
As the university failed to get regular faculty posts sanctioned by the government, it has appointed highly experienced and well-qualified people as ad-hoc faculty members.
However, every year, university officials allegedly harass the ad-hoc faculty for the renewal of contracts.
Though the ad-hoc faculty are filling the shoes of regular staff, the officials claim that research scholars cannot pursue PhD courses at the university in absence of regular faculty according to UGC guidelines.
Sixty-two students joined the food engineering course when it was launched last year. Yet the university has failed to appoint regular faculty members for the course, which is being taught by the ad-hoc faculty at the University College of Engineering, Kakinada.
The students are also facing issues with hostel accommodation as repairs to existing hostels remain incomplete.
“University authorities should sort out such problems and provide facilities to students and ad-hoc faculty members,’’ said a professor, who accused the university of reading the UGC guidelines to suit its interests.
“According to the UGC guidelines, the ad-hoc lecturers or professors should be paid salaries that are equal to that of the regular faculty. But the varsity is not implementing it. In the matter of providing PhD admissions to eligible faculties, however, it is taking cover of the UGC guidelines,’’ the professor said.
Vice-Chancellor M.Ramalinga Raju said he would draw the attention of the government on the need to appoint regular faculty and said that hostel issues would be sorted out soon.
