VISAKHAPATNAM: It is a mystery why Andhra University is not getting full-fledged faculty. An air of uncertainty and confusion prevails, ahead of the next academic year, as the state government has still put on hold its decision to fill up the vacant posts in AU, even after allotting required budget for the same, long ago.
Even as 400 permanent faculty members work in all courses in the university, there is a dire need to recruit another 510 faculty. It may be noted here that the state government had allotted around Rs 400 crore for all the universities in the state, of which AU will get Rs 70 crore towards faculty recruitment. The government had also taken the responsibility of filling up minimum 75 per cent vacant seats initially, but the procedure did not start yet. Though the AU officials requested the government to grant them permission to appoint faculties, the issue has been put on back burner.
Asserting that the government is yet to take a decision on filling up the vacant posts in the university, AU vice-chancellor GSN Raju said that the varsity was indeed ready to take up the recruitment procedure, but only with proper guidance from the government. “We are waiting for the decision of the government. Meanwhile, HRD minister Ganta Srinivasa Rao has assured us of filling up the vacant posts in AU soon.” It may be recalled here that the official notification for the recruitment of faculty was issued long back in 2000. Since then, no recruitments were taken up until 2006 when the AU roped in 32 faculty members for arts and science colleges and another 116 for engineering college. Currently, the varsity has around 400 permanent faculty, 200 assistant professors on contract basis, and a guest faculty. Many departments including organic chemistry, physics, microbiology, history, political science, anthropology, communication and management studies, English and other arts and science departments face faculty crisis.