SAMBALPUR: Shortage of teachers is making Gangadhar Meher University (GMU) wait for its big happy moment.
A year after announcing to launch a course on happiness, the university has postponed its plan due to delay in faculty recruitment.
Last year, GMU authorities had decided to start a six-month diploma course in happiness from the current academic session of 2019-20. The announcement had created much hype in the city since the university claimed it will be the first institution in the State to offer such a course.
Subsequently, a proposal was sent to the State Government and it was approved. However, delay in hiring teachers for the course has led to postponement of the course by a year.
The course aimed at giving students a greater understanding of what happiness is. Though not job-oriented, the course’s objective is to promote the need of physical and mental well-being.
The minimum eligibility criteria to enrol in the course is Plus Two irrespective of streams, discipline or age limit.
Deputy registrar of GMU Uma Charan Pati said engaging the existing staff to teach the course would have affected regular classes.
“Happiness will be a comprehensive course involving faculty from around four to five departments. The students would be taught about implications and aspects of happiness in terms of psychology, economics, science as well as medical science.
We cannot divert teachers for the course until our recruitment process is over,” he said.
The syllabus for the course has already been prepared and approved by the council and syndicate. The university has also approached VIMSAR for the part of syllabus which involves medical aspects of happiness. Naturopathy and yoga are also a part of the syllabus.
Pati assured that the course will be started from next academic session as the recruitment process will be over by March.
Sources said this is not the only course delayed due to shortage of teachers. Earlier this year, GMU had also planned to launch certificate and diploma courses in Women’s Studies from this academic session.
The course aimed to create awareness on gender equality and also assured job opportunities. Many universities in the State are already offering the course in Women’s Studies. But, in GMU, it has been shelved for the faculty crunch.
Sources informed that before the start of recruitment process in October this year, the university a had faculty strength of 41 against the sanctioned 116.
In the meantime, 15 have been recruited. Still, a total strength of 56 teachers is not sufficient to run all the courses smoothly.