The government college in Muktsar and many other colleges in the region are grappling with acute shortage of regular staff as the Punjab government has not made any recruitment since 1996.

There are only three regular teachers in this college which offers 980 seats in different courses in BA, BSc (med and non medical), BCom and MA in economics and political science.

Ikkveer Kaur, officiating principal, said, “Of the total 54 sectioned posts, 51 are lying vacant. We have very good infrastructure, but the government hasn’t recruited regular teachers for a long time. We have to hire guest faculty staff.”

The pathetic scenario has hit the studies of the students.

SIMILAR SITUATION IN OTHER COLLEGES

Affiliated with Panjab University, Chandigarh, the Jalalabad girls’ college has no regular staff. Notably, former deputy chief minister and Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) president Sukhbir Singh Badal has won thrice from the Jalalabad assembly seat.

Sagar Kumar, officiating principal, Jalalabad government girls’ college, said, “At present, there are nine sectioned posts, but all of these are vacant. I have been posted under temporary adjustment here. Five teachers have been appointed on guest faculty basis.”

Similarly, the Fazilka government college is also in pathetic state where 28 of the total 30 posts are lying vacant.

College principal Rajesh Kanganwal said, “In our college, there are only two regular teachers. It is very difficult for us to manage in such a situation.”

In DM college, Moga, as many as 36 of the 45 sectioned posts are vacant. “We have only nine regular teachers. There are about 850 students in various graduate and post-graduate courses here” said SP Sharma, officiating principal of the college.

The posts of principal are also lying vacant in many colleges.

FINANCIAL BURDEN ON STUDENTS

Due to shortage of regular staff, college authorities rely on guest faculty lecturers. The monthly salary of a guest faculty member is Rs 21,600. Of this amount, Rs 10,000 comes from the state government while Rs 11,600 is contributed by the college authorities, which is mainly taken from the Parents Teachers Association (PTA) funds.

“In such a scenario, students have to bear the brunt. In many colleges, students pay Rs 2,000 to 3,000 as PTA fund. We come from poor families. It is not affordable for us,” said Davinder Singh, a student from Muktsar.

“We are qualified and work hard, but our salaries are meager as compared to the regular teachers. The government should recruit regular staff,” said a guest faculty teacher, seeking anonymity.

First Published: Jun 25, 2019 08:05 IST