CHENNAI: Aided colleges in the city are in a tough dilemma. While the courses in these colleges were started as ‘aided’ courses with the Department of Higher Education funding the salaries of the faculty, it is no more the same. With increased delays in sanctioning of faculty appointments, colleges are forced to bear the salaries of the new teachers despite them being recruited to government-aided posts vacated by retirees.
“Since 2011, the new posts which fell vacant after retirement of faculty, still await sanction for new recruitment. As of now, 39 of our 100 or so government-sanctioned posts are vacant. The management has no choice but to recruit faculty and pay them their salaries until the government authorities give them the nod for filling up the post,” says the principal of a top minority Arts and Science College in the city.
Another minority girl’s college in city has been awaiting the recruitment for a decade now. “Since 2004, over 60 aided faculty positions have fallen vacant, mostly due to retirement. In May alone, an additional seven new posts fell vacant. The management will now have to fund salaries of teachers in all these posts,” says the recently-retired vice-principal of the college.
The colleges are worst hit when there is a mass retirement. “There are times when certain departments face large retirements. Our college is going through such a period. As of now, one-third of our aided positions are awaiting the nod for filling up the vacancies. In the meantime, the management is paying salaries for the new faculty,” says the principal of a majority aided boys arts and science college in the city.
With the management having to fill the posts, teachers are underpaid in spite of having the right qualifications. The increasing burden on the management also means that the students will have to bear the cost of the new recruitments. “These days, the new departments that are coming up are all unaided. So, students anyway have to pay a high cost. But now, even in the aided category, the colleges have no choice but to increase the fees,” says the principal.
Earlier, when a lecturer retired, the college could advertise for recruitments and conduct interviews. Only an approval of the candidate had to be sought. But now everytime a new vacancy arises, a fresh permission for recruitment to the post had to be sought, sighting the faculty retirement, workload and other details, say sources from the college.
Meanwhile the vice-chancellor of the Madras University says that around seven colleges have been given the sanction to form a selection committee to recruit teachers for the academic year 2014-15. “Around 50 per cent of the posts have been given the sanction while the rest will be given as and when the lists are provided to us,” he says. The University can give the sanction only when all other clearances are provided, he says.