DAVANGERE: Davangere University, which boasts of 23 departments for arts, science and commerce streams, does not have enough permanent staff including professors, associate professors, teaching and non-teaching staff for most of the departments.
The university, which offers post-graduate courses, is dependent on guest lecturers for running most of the departments.
According to university sources, guest lecturers have been taking classes for the past four years for the students of mathematics, physics, chemistry, computer science, MEd, botany, zoology, history, political science and sociology departments.
The sources also said that the state government has not sanctioned the posts of professors, associate professors and readers for some of the departments.
“We are trying to get the posts recognised and sanctioned for the past three years but the files are pending before the state government,” one of the university officials who did not want to be named told Express. The students are suffering because of the dearth of experienced and qualified professors.”
According to a government order, each postgraduate department in a university should have one professor, two associate professors, two assistant professors, a reader and general lecturers as permanent faculty.
But in Davangere University there are at least 90 guest lecturers who are doing the job of associate and assistant professors.
“A minimum of 180 to 200 teaching and non-teaching staff are required to run the university effectively and efficiently. But the state government is not doing anything about it,” said a senior academician of the university.The lack of professors has also affected students enrolling for PhD programmes.
The financial situation of the university is not too good either. Talking about the university’s financial situation, a source said, “A number of buildings are coming up in the university premises and the estimated cost for the construction works is around `45 crore. The delay in the release of grants has aggravated the situation.”