HYDERABAD: Nearly 50% of government degree colleges in Telangana are functioning without regular principals, with in-charge principals holding additional charge, raising concerns over administration and academic supervision.
According to the Qualified Government Degree Lecturers Association (QGDLA), 75 of the 159 government degree colleges in the state do not have regular principals. The association said the vacancies were affecting day-to-day administration, admissions and academic monitoring. In some cases, a single principal was overseeing two or even three colleges, making effective administration difficult.
The vacancies have also brought the long-pending issue of recruitment and promotion of degree lecturers into focus. Around 151 eligible lecturers are awaiting promotion, with the candidates belonging to different recruitment batches. The major contention is over the integrated seniority list.
The QGDLA has demanded that the 1998 batch of junior lecturers be placed above the 2001, 2002, 2004 and 2005 batches, arguing that recruitment seniority should be considered while determining eligibility for promotion.
According to the association, qualified candidates were promoted in the first phase of the 2010 Departmental Promotion Committee (DPC), covering the 1998, 2001, 2002 and 2004 junior lecturer batches. It alleged that unqualified candidates were subsequently given conditional promotions, but several of them were not reverted despite failing to acquire the prescribed qualifications.
“A principal has to handle admissions, examinations, staff matters, academic planning, inspections and several administrative responsibilities. Managing more than one college makes it difficult to devote sufficient time to each institution,” said a government degree lecturer, who did not wish to be named.
Another lecturer said the impact was particularly visible during admissions and examination periods. Students often require immediate decisions on certificates, scholarships, attendance and examination-related issues. When a principal is holding additional charge elsewhere, even routine matters can take more time, the lecturer said.
Dr TS Praveen Kumar, associate professor of English and president of the Qualified Government Degree Lecturers’ Association, Telangana, said the issue dated back to the recruitment and promotion process for junior lecturers to degree lecturers. He pointed out that GO Ms No 159 of 1990 made NET/SLET qualification compulsory for appointment as degree lecturers, while subsequent government orders provided various relaxations.
Filling the 75 principal vacancies through a transparent and rule-based promotion process would help strengthen administration and ensure that senior, qualified lecturers get an opportunity to head government degree colleges before their retirement, he added.