At a time when academic activities in several state-run colleges have virtually run aground because of non-availability of suitable candidates for the post of principal, the appointment of the heads of three city colleges as key persons in three state-controlled educational institutions has further compounded the problem.

The presence of principals in their colleges is of utmost importance these days as students are insisting on introduction of new courses.

More than 30 of the 125-odd colleges in the city do not have a principal.

The three colleges whose principals have taken over as heads of education bodies are Lady Brabourne College, Vidyasagar College and Birati College.

Gopa Dutta of Lady Brabourne College has joined the West Bengal Council of Higher Secondary Education as president, Ranajit Basu of Birati College will take over as chairman of the West Bengal School Service Commission and Sulapani Bhattacharya of Vidyasagar College has been appointed president of the West Bengal Board of Primary Education.

?We are passing through a phase when each and every college needs an efficient principal with adequate managerial skills. We have requested the college service commission to fill up the vacant posts of principal in our affiliated colleges,? Asis Kumar Banerjee, vice-chancellor, Calcutta University, said on Sunday.

Ajit Banik, chairman of the college service commission, said interviews to recruit principals have started. ?We shall shortly initiate the process of recruiting principals in Vidyasagar and Birati colleges,? he said.

The commission is finding it difficult to fill up the posts. Candidates with requisite qualifications and 10 years of academic experience are not readily available.

Many eligible candidates refuse to take over as principals because they prefer not to involve themselves in administrative work.