BENGALURU: Many government degree colleges in the state are without full-term principals and the Department of Collegiate Education has initiated action to fill the vacant posts through a written test.
This move has become a cause for concern among lecturers of government colleges. They are against the move as it will allow lecturers of private institutions to become principals of their colleges.
In Karnataka, there are 430 government degree colleges that offer BA, BCom, BSc and other courses. Until 2009, principals were appointed based on promotions and senior-most lecturers would become principals. Those promoted as principals during this period retired by 2013. The government stopped promoting senior lecturers as principals in its colleges after 2013.
In 2018, a notification was issued by the Department of Collegiate Education, framing new recruitment rules to fill vacant posts of principal in 310 colleges. As per the new rules, vacant posts of principal in government colleges should be filled through an entrance examination. This was opposed by lecturers of government degree colleges, who stated that it would deprive them of their right to become principals based on seniority.
The government, however, did not fill the vacant posts and instead allowed colleges to function with in-charge principals.
During the monsoon session, Higher Education Minister Dr MC Sudhakar told the Assembly that the government issued an order for direct recruitment of principals in 2018 and permission was given for the same in 2019. In 2020, the government decided to ask the Karnataka Examinations Authority (KEA) to conduct the entrance test to fill vacant posts of principal in its degree colleges. However, only in 2022, the government permitted KEA to conduct the test.
Documents of candidates being verified
The KEA conducted the test in 2023 and announced a list of selected candidates in 2024. At present, documents of the selected candidates are being verified.
A senior lecturer of a government college said as per the new recruitment rules, professors and associate professors in government and private colleges affiliated to the universities in Karnataka are eligible to apply. Those recruited from private colleges can work as principals for five years and return to their parent institutions.
“Many teachers from law, engineering and even BEd colleges have applied for the posts of principal. Once their term is over, they will go back to their colleges. But lecturers in government colleges will not become principals based on seniority. No other department in the government has this initiative of allowing private sector employees to join the government sector through lateral entry,” he said.
The department issued another notification in October 2023, constituting a committee to study the process of filling vacant posts of principal in degree colleges. “The committee studied the processes in various states. But nowhere it found direct recruitment of principals except in Maharashtra. In Maharashtra, only lecturers of government colleges are allowed to become principals through a written test,’’ sources said.