Full-time principal for GEC after 15 yrs

Panaji: The Goa Public Service Commission (GPSC) has named Krupashankara Mysore Sethuram as the principal of Goa Engineering College (GEC), Farmagudi. Sethuram will be the first full-time principal to be posted at GEC in the last 15 years.

At least three to four professors of GEC were interviewed by GPSC on October 24, but seem to have lost out to Sethuram.

Between 2002-2009, two IIT-Bombay professors were appointed as GEC principals, following an MoU between the two institutes. Both the appointments were contractual. Officials said the state government was keen on continuing this arrangement with IIT Bombay, even after 2009. In the ensuing negotiations, the appointment of a full-time principal could not materialise and local academics have been officiating as principals since then.

The director of technical education Vivek Kamat held the additional charge for three-and-a-half years. After Kamat, professor V N Shet of GEC was officiating as the principal since January 2014.

The college was also facing a faculty crisis for about two decades, a similar situation faced by IITs and other engineering colleges across the country.

Though the shortage still exists, it has been reduced to around 20% at present, after GEC introduced its doctorate programmes in 2013.

Prior to the PhD programmes at GEC, candidates for faculty positions could not study for higher degrees within the state, which is a necessity to qualify for posts like associate professor and professor.

The shortage of associate professors and professors continues for want of suitable candidates, as there are several other conditions to be met like publication of papers in reputed journals.

The shortage is being dealt with currently by appointment of faculty on contractual basis.