Central University of Bihar in Gaya. Picture by Suman

Central University of Bihar has recruited 12 teachers for undergraduate and graduate courses at its Gaya campus.

The registrar of the university, Mohammed Nehal, said: “Twelve teachers, including an associate professor and 11 assistant professors, have been appointed for the Gaya campus.”

The faculty strength at the Gaya campus is now 30. A few months ago, the university had recruited and transferred, from its Patna campus, 18 teachers to Gaya.

The university offers 16 graduate courses, four of which are taught at the Gaya campus — sociology, political science and international relations, English and Hindi.

The 12 others — such as environmental science, mathematics, economics, life science, development studies and communication and media studies — are taught at the Patna campus.

From this year, the university has also launched four undergraduate courses — four-year integrated BA-BEd and BSc-BEd, and the five-year BA-LLB and BSc-LLB.

Sources at the university said to run the undergraduate courses smoothly, the university has laid emphasis not only on appointment of teachers of law but also of other subjects, which the students have to study.

The new recruits would teach education, law, physics, chemistry, computer science and mathematics.

Sources said the total number of teachers at the university has risen to 75 after the latest phase of recruitment. Of them, 45 are posted in Patna.

The total sanctioned strength of teachers at the Central University of Bihar (CUB) is 140.

The lack in strength, however, is not a cause of headache for the students of the university.

A second-year development studies student, wishing anonymity, said: “Though the university does not have senior teachers (professors), the assistant and associate professors are equally good. We have no complaints.”

Sources said the process of recruitment of faculty at the CUB is stringent.

For 12 assistant and associate professors that the varsity recruited on August 8, it received around 2,000 applications.

Apart from administrative and academic screening, the candidates had to appear for an interview in front of a panel comprising three teachers, one observer and a visitor (nominated by the President of India).

The university administration also plans to start recruitment of senior teachers (professors) for both the temporary campus in Patna and the Gaya campus.

The varsity is going to recruit 18 professors. At present, the varsity has only two professors.

Registrar Nehal said: “With the recruitment of 18 professors, all programmes would have at least one senior professor.”