LIT overstaffed, still NU to recruit teachers
Sarfaraz Ahmed | TNN | Feb 10, 2019, 01:42 ISTNagpur: The Nagpur University (NU), Laxminarayan Institute of Technology (LIT) and its alumnus-cum-petitioner Prasanna Sohale seem to have got their math wrong. The NU has issued employment notice by advertising 17 posts for LIT, a premier institution of the city which already appears over-staffed in the light of All India Council of Technical Education (AICTE) fixed faculty-student ratio of 1:20 for undergraduate engineering and technology degree course.
Currently, 50% positions at LIT are vacant and only 32 teachers are working. Even at over 50% vacancy, the ratio never exceeds the norm as one teacher is still available for every 18 students (1:18). This raises questions over the litigation and the hue and cry over lack of sufficient teachers at LIT.
The LIT has a combined sanctioned intake of 150 in chemical engineering (CE) and chemical technology (CT) UG courses. Multiplying this by four batches (four years of study) takes the total number of students to 600 enrolled at a time.
In case all its teaching positions are filled, LIT would have a far better faculty versus student ratio of 1:10 than that fixed by the AICTE at 1:20. In fact, it is also better than the previous ratio of 1:15. Hence, filling up vacancies will make six teachers available for each BTech class of 75 students, which would be twice than what AICTE has prescribed.
Vice-chancellor SP Kane and acting registrar didn’t answer to TOI’s calls and messages in this regard. They didn’t reply to queries mailed on official IDs too. Sohale refused to comment.
After NU issued the employment notice with no clarity on the roster system, TOI investigation found that the institution is afflicted with a decades old flawed staffing structure.
A deeper look into LIT’s division of branches within CT department gives a clue as to where the NU and college authorities need to have a relook. There are five branches with an intake of just 12 and one with 15. While the intake number is surprisingly low, each branch has at least one or more than two teachers. Hence, it calls for immediate relook at the staffing pattern.
NU officials said though the institute was set up in 1942, positions and intake capacity were created between 1960 and 1995. Thus, the entire system needs to be adjusted as per the existing norms and workload. LIT officials say the surplus staff in one department is posing problems in distribution of workload. In some branches, two faculty members are teaching one subject, they said.
The officials questioned the way litigation was filed in “over enthusiasm and without carrying out the basic work or understanding the organizational flow”. “Nobody studied it properly. The court wasn’t informed of all the facts and the university simply rushed with the proposal,” they said.
LIT director Raju Mankar said the 1:20 ratio is not must but desirable. “The workload has to be decided on the basis of syllabus and timetable per week,” he said.
CHEMICAL LOCHA
Chemical Engineering (CE) department has just 12 sanctioned positions as compared to 19 teachers for the chemical technology (CT) department
Currently, six teachers are working in CE and 11 in CT
Both departments have same number of students (75 in each batch) under them
A CE teacher at LIT is handling 50 students in sharp contrast to one CT teacher for just 27 students
Yet, NU has advertised 14 positions under CT department and three in CE
Fresh appointments would take the CE tally to only 9 whereas it requires at least 15 teachers to match even the AICTE norm
Currently, 50% positions at LIT are vacant and only 32 teachers are working. Even at over 50% vacancy, the ratio never exceeds the norm as one teacher is still available for every 18 students (1:18). This raises questions over the litigation and the hue and cry over lack of sufficient teachers at LIT.
The LIT has a combined sanctioned intake of 150 in chemical engineering (CE) and chemical technology (CT) UG courses. Multiplying this by four batches (four years of study) takes the total number of students to 600 enrolled at a time.
In case all its teaching positions are filled, LIT would have a far better faculty versus student ratio of 1:10 than that fixed by the AICTE at 1:20. In fact, it is also better than the previous ratio of 1:15. Hence, filling up vacancies will make six teachers available for each BTech class of 75 students, which would be twice than what AICTE has prescribed.
Vice-chancellor SP Kane and acting registrar didn’t answer to TOI’s calls and messages in this regard. They didn’t reply to queries mailed on official IDs too. Sohale refused to comment.
After NU issued the employment notice with no clarity on the roster system, TOI investigation found that the institution is afflicted with a decades old flawed staffing structure.
A deeper look into LIT’s division of branches within CT department gives a clue as to where the NU and college authorities need to have a relook. There are five branches with an intake of just 12 and one with 15. While the intake number is surprisingly low, each branch has at least one or more than two teachers. Hence, it calls for immediate relook at the staffing pattern.
NU officials said though the institute was set up in 1942, positions and intake capacity were created between 1960 and 1995. Thus, the entire system needs to be adjusted as per the existing norms and workload. LIT officials say the surplus staff in one department is posing problems in distribution of workload. In some branches, two faculty members are teaching one subject, they said.
The officials questioned the way litigation was filed in “over enthusiasm and without carrying out the basic work or understanding the organizational flow”. “Nobody studied it properly. The court wasn’t informed of all the facts and the university simply rushed with the proposal,” they said.
LIT director Raju Mankar said the 1:20 ratio is not must but desirable. “The workload has to be decided on the basis of syllabus and timetable per week,” he said.
CHEMICAL LOCHA
Chemical Engineering (CE) department has just 12 sanctioned positions as compared to 19 teachers for the chemical technology (CT) department
Currently, six teachers are working in CE and 11 in CT
Both departments have same number of students (75 in each batch) under them
A CE teacher at LIT is handling 50 students in sharp contrast to one CT teacher for just 27 students
Yet, NU has advertised 14 positions under CT department and three in CE
Fresh appointments would take the CE tally to only 9 whereas it requires at least 15 teachers to match even the AICTE norm
more from times of india Cities
LATEST VIDEOS
All Comments ()+^ Back to Top
Refrain from posting comments that are obscene, defamatory or inflammatory, and do not indulge in personal attacks, name calling or inciting hatred against any community. Help us delete comments that do not follow these guidelines by marking them offensive. Let's work together to keep the conversation civil.
HIDE