TIRUCHI

About 50 teachers of the erstwhile constituent college of Bharathidasan University in Perambalur district that has been converted into a Government Arts and Science College face the danger of losing their jobs as five out of the UG programmes and all the six PG programmes have been left out of the admission process.

Till last year, the institution that came into existence in 2006 had been offering B.A. in Tamil, English, Tourism and Travel Management, B.B.A, B.Com, and Bachelor of Social Work.

This year, the teachers who had been handling BCA, B.Sc. Microbiology, B.A. History, B.A. TTM, and BSW find themselves stranded. So is the case of the teachers handling the six PG programmes: MCA, MBA, MA Tamil, MA English, M.Com and MSW.

The teachers say they are baffled since the Director of Collegiate Education had given a clear instruction in an order issued during April that all existing programmes must continue.

It was in accordance with the order issued by the Directorate of Collegiate Education that the college had distributed applications for all the programmes and even invited candidates for admission counselling. Leave alone the plight of the teachers, the decision not to admit students for five UG and six PG programmes will deprive rural students of the opportunity to avail themselves of the benefit of higher education, a senior functionary of a teachers' organisation said.

The institution is one among the 14 out of 41 constituent colleges of State universities identified for conversion into government arts and science colleges in the first phase.

According to sources in the Bharthidasan University, the PG students and teachers of the college, will, in all probability, be accommodated in the P.G. Extension centre in Perambalur district.

But, there is no clarity as such, on the plight of teachers handling the five UG programmes.