Ranchi, Oct. 2: The acute shortage of teachers in universities and colleges is likely to continue as the process to fill up vacant posts has hit several hurdles.

Sources said one of the major obstacles which has halted the recruitment process is the lack of accreditation to hold the eligibility test for appointment of teachers through the Jharkhand Public Service Commission (JPSC).

The state government will have to seek accreditation from the University Grants Commission to enable the JPSC to hold the eligibility test on the lines of the national eligibility test (NET), which is mandatory college teachers, officials added.

Sources said the Jharkhand Universities Act needed to be amended to change the reservation policy to provide NET relief to doctorates.

The Jharkhand Universities Act is a copy of the Bihar Universities Act.

“The break-up of reservation for Scheduled Caste, Scheduled Tribes and backward categories in Bihar is different from that in Jharkhand. That needs to be amended under the state reservation policy,” an official said.

“The UGC gives some relief to PhD holders. The Jharkhand Universities Act has provision to provide NET relaxation to doctorates who did PhD till December 1993, but the UGC has changed the cut-off date to December 2002 in its revised guidelines of 1.1.1996. The same needs to be incorporated here by amending the statutes,” an official said.

These amendments will be valid after they are approved by the chancellor of state universities. The government can advertise the vacant posts after the chancellor ratification, the official added.

The vacant posts in Ranchi University have been furnished to the human resources development department. At least 412 posts of teachers are vacant in Ranchi University, including 44 posts of professors, 64 of readers and 304 of lecturers.

Vinoba Bhave University (Hazaribagh) and Siddho-Kanho University (Dumka) are still to furnish the list of vacant posts.

“A two-third and one-third division of teachers were effected when Ranchi University was bifurcated to create Vinoba Bhave University. The number of teachers in Siddho-Kanho University, which was created after bifurcation of Bhagalpur University is half of that of Vinoba Bhave,” an official said.

Higher education director K.K. Shrivastava said the human resources development minister has convened a meeting of vice-chancellors on October 14 to review the vacant posts.

The universities will be directed to effect necessary changes to facilitate appointment and expedite development projects. Shrivastava said the appointment process would be completed by the end of this year.