Quality takes backseat in OU

500 posts lie vacant; 300 to retire soon

Osmania University (OU), which will celebrate its centenary four years from now, is plagued not only by continued campus unrest but also a massive shortage of faculty. Out of the budgeted 1,226 teachers’ posts, currently only 720 posts are filled, implying that there is a shortfall of 500 posts. Of the 720, some 300 teachers are set to retire by 2016. Though it is currently recruiting temporary professors, the move is having an adverse impact because projects and aids, coming courtesy of University Grants Commission (UGC) and other such bodies, are few and far in between. More than that, there is a telling impact on teaching and research work that are being carried out. Even as there is a dearth of quality teaching staff, the varsity is ‘functioning’ with an annual deficit of Rs 40 crore

Ranked among the oldest varsities in the country, Osmania University (OU) has produced many great engineers, doctors and scientists, men and women of eminence who have upheld the State’s individuality with their impeccable academic credentials.

However, the situation has nosedived to such sorry levels that the aura of quality, which it symbolised not long ago, is fast becoming a thing of the past. The sprawling campus has 53 wings and 720 affiliated institutions, yet it is short of professors.

Official statistics with the OU state that every year, about 40 teachers from various departments retire. Vice-Chancellor S Satyanarayana, in one of his recent interviews, said that 300 to 350 teachers, including professors and lecturers, are to retire in the next three years. Although, recruitments are taking place, informed sources state that they are not able to ‘find’ qualified candidates to clear the backlog.

The shortage is being attributed to the absence of any meaningful recruitment ‘drive’ for almost a decade now. It has been so abysmal that there have been no recruitments between 1996 and 2006! As if this were not enough, many teachers retired in that one decade.

Since the re-commencement of the recruitment process in 2006, only 300 vacancies have been filled in the past seven years putting the figure at approximately 720 from the budgeted stipulation of 1,226 posts. To keep the show going, the administrators are hiring temporary teachers on a contract basis.

The same is the scenario with professors in the university. Prof Beena, HoD, Psychology, is to retire by the month-end. Post-her retirement, the department would not only be rudderless but will have only two assistant professors on its pay-roll. Geo-physics, geology, sociology, archaeology and Hindi departments are ‘managing’ with only one professor each. Lack of senior professors has seriously impacted teaching and research in the varsity. University Grants Commission (UGC), Department of Bio Technology (DBT) and Department of Science and Technology (DST) allot projects worth anything between Rs 16 lakh to Rs one crore each, every year.

However, with a terrible shortage of senior professors, the funding agencies are in two minds over sanctioning orders, like it was in the good old days.

The only standout departments are bio-chemistry and genetics, both of which enjoy the luxury of having sufficient or full-fledged members in the faculty. In terms of irony, nothing could be more baffling than the Department of Economics, which has 22 men as against the granted requirement of 40 posts. Some economic compulsion this! It will get worse next year when ten are due to retire.

This shortage of teachers is boomeranging on the administrators because it is hitting research scholars, the most. Lack of professors also means lack of guides and supervisors for doctoral students and research scholars. Muralidhar, head of department, economics, is currently guiding eight research scholars besides supervising 30 more.

“We have recruited 200 teachers thus far and have sent a proposal to the government for hiring 250 more. We are waiting for the nod,” said the Vice-Chancellor.

Any varsity survives on the grants provided by the government. Currently the varsity receives Rs 170 crore every year in grants and is paying Rs 180 crore in salaries. When all the other overheads, establishment charges and income sources are considered, the varsity has a deficit of Rs 40 crore every year.

Given the sorry state-of-affairs prevalent for quite a while, surely this is not the direction the University should be heading towards, particularly with the 100th year round the corner.