BHUBANESWAR: Despite the state government mandating a seven-hour work rule for teaching and non-teaching staff of public colleges, the norm is being violated with impunity in three regions that have the highest concentration of higher education institutions.
The regional directorates of education (RDEs) of Sambalpur, Bhubaneswar and Berhampur have informed the Higher Education department that faculty members of many colleges under their jurisdiction are not registering their attendance through biometric devices even though there is a strict government guideline to this effect. At several colleges, faculty members are also not staying on campus after registering their attendance.
Colleges in Mayurbhanj, Balasore, Bhadrak and Keonjhar come under the jurisdiction of RDE-Balasore. Similarly, colleges under Khurda, Puri, Nayagarh, Cuttack, Jajpur, Jagatsinghpur, Kendrapara, Dhenkanal and Angul come under RDE-Bhubaneswar. Ganjam, Gajapati and Kandhamal districts are under RDE-Berhampur.
Recently, officials of the directorates paid surprise visits to all the colleges under their jurisdiction and found that a majority of them wore a deserted look, particularly during the afternoon session.
In their report to the department, they pointed out that both teaching and non-teaching staff are coming to colleges early to register their fingerprints in the attendance device and moving out of the campus only to return to register their exit fingerprints, thereby ensuring a record of their seven-hour stay in the college.
In letters to principals of all government, non-government aided and unaided colleges under both the RDEs, the officials said this practice has been putting college administrations under severe pressure. They said surprise visits will be made to the colleges again in subsequent days and stringent action taken against the staff found deviating from the attendance guideline.
Before the beginning of the new academic session of 2024-25, the Higher Education department had directed all the teaching and non-teaching staff of higher education institutes to adhere to the seven-hour work rule. It had asked the principals of all government, aided and unaided colleges to ensure that teaching and non-teaching staff of the institutions are present on the campus from 10 am to 5 pm every working day and submit their biometric attendance.