Ranchi, May 4: Governor Syed Ahmed today ordered the setting up of a committee comprising the vice-chancellors of five state-run universities to chalk out a uniform transfer policy to tackle teacher scarcity, especially in rural and semi-urban areas.

The governor, who is also the chancellor of state varsities, was alarmed by the fact that over 50 per cent of the posts of teaching staff were vacant at colleges in rural areas under five centres, namely Ranchi, Kolhan, Neelamber-Pitamber, Sidho-Kanhu Murmu and Vinoba Bhave universities.

Ahmed gave the direction during a review meeting with vice-chancellors and pro vice-chancellors of the five varsities and Birsa Agriculture University (BAU) at Raj Bhawan.

“It came to the fore that many teachers who were earlier posted in rural areas have been successful in securing transfers on some pretext or the other to places like Ranchi, Jamshedpur and Dhanbad,” a source, who attended the meeting, told The Telegraph.

“Many colleges in rural and semi-urban areas have more than 50 per cent of the sanctioned posts of teachers vacant. This is alarming. There are teachers who don’t even want to serve at the headquarters of Kolhan University in Chaibasa. Also, a long list of teachers, who want inter-university transfers, is pending with Ranchi University,” the source added.

In stark contrast, many university departments and colleges in Ranchi, Jamshedpur and Dhanbad boast full strength staff, while in a few cases the number of teachers exceeds the sanctioned figure.

The participants at the meeting pointed out that the teacher crunch was acute in places like Gumla, Lohardaga, Khunti, Bundu, Baharagora, and several places in Santhal Pargana, which is covered by Sido-Kanhu Murmu University.

Ahmed also asked for the formation of another panel, headed by the VC of Neelamber-Pitamber University, to find solutions to disputes that stood in the way of extending benefits of the fifth and sixth pay commissions to grade III and IV non-teaching employees at the varsities save BAU.

Stressing the need for holding regular lok adalats to solve problems over retirement benefits for teaching and non-teaching staff, the governor asked the varsity officials to make the proposed people’s court on May 13 — to be organised by the Jharkhand Legal Services Authority — a success.