Class Act

Vice chancellor, registrar and other administrators of Kolhan University will be back to where they had started their academic career from — the classroom.

The Chaibasa-based varsity that came into being just two years ago in 2009 has come up with this novel plan of administrative officials doubling up as teachers to beat the staff crunch at colleges under it. The decision was taken at a meeting between the university authorities and college principals on Wednesday.

According to sources, all agreed at the meeting that the student should not suffer because of shortage of teachers and hence, administrative officials would take up teaching assignments in the colleges if the situation so demands.

“At the end of the day, it is the students who pay a price as no classes are held half the time. Hence, we thought of this solution. After all, teaching used to be our profession before we bagged administrative roles and at times like this, the students do need us,” said S.S. Akhtar, deputy registrar-cum-spokesperson of Kolhan University.

This is not all. The university has also asked the mentors to teach in other colleges apart from the one where he/she is appointed depending on the requirement and of course, the mentors’ free time. This way, studies will not be hampered in colleges that do not have adequate number of teaching staff. The system will come into effect from next week.

Although the teachers will not be paid extra for the added responsibility, they will be entitled to monthly conveyance allowance of Rs 1,000. However, the university will ensure that they are deputed in colleges in the same city so that travelling is not a problem.

“Instead of spending their free time in the staff room, the lecturers, readers and professors can take up teaching assignment in other colleges. Likewise, I may have to teach history in a college if I am required to do so,” Akhtar said.

Teachers welcomed the move.

“We can set a very good example if the decision is implemented strictly. Teachers are here to teach, be it in one college or more. The main stakeholders of a college is its students and they should get all benefits at any cost,” said B.N. Prasad, head of the department of mathematics, Jamshedpur Co-operative College.

Kolhan University has been grappling with an acute staff crunch for quite some time now even though it has applied to the Jharkhand Public Service Commission (JPSC) for recruiting 132 teachers in postgraduate department. It has also sent a list of 201 posts of lecturers — out of the total number of 400 teaching posts — lying vacant at the undergraduate level.

The university has asked for a list of sanctioned and vacant teaching posts from the colleges to chalk out a detailed plan to ensure that classes are regular. Surprise inspection will also be carried out every month and principals will be taken to task if teachers are found to play truant.