COIMBATORE: Bharathiar University has decided to take back 34 teaching and non-teaching staff who are working under consolidated pay from four government colleges, following audit objections towards paying salaries to these staff from the university fund. Citing staff crunch, principals however said the action will affect the academic and administrative work in their colleges.
These colleges in Gudalur, Valparai, and Modakurichi and Thondamuthur were affiliated to Bharathiar University until 2019.
In a letter to the Directorate of Collegiate Education (DCE), Bharathiar University registrar R Rajavel stated that there are excess staff (12 teaching and 22 non-teaching) working on a consolidated pay basis in the aforementioned colleges and their salaries are being paid by the university even after they became government colleges.
An audit objection has been raised from the Local Fund Audit of Bharathiar University for the amount spent towards the monthly salary of the constituent college staff members, which needs to be reimbursed by the government.
Principals requested to revert the excess staff members working in the erstwhile constituent colleges to the university with immediate effect," the letter said.
Sources say government colleges are already facing staff shortage. For instance, in the Valparai Government College only two teaching staff appointed by the university are available for the B.Sc. IT course. If they are returned to the university from college immediately, there will not be anyone to teach the subject. It would affect the students' education. Like this, if the university takes back the non-teaching staff, the administrative work would be affected in these four colleges.
A principal, who did not wish to be named, told TNIE that the DCE should have assumed full government control while taking over the constituent colleges.
"Instead of doing this, the DCE did not accept certain courses of Bharathiar University in the college as some of them were not approved by it (DCE). Similarly, the DCE did not approve certain non-teaching staff posts sanctioned by the university. As a result, the university has been paying the salaries of these staff members. Now, if the university takes them back, citing audit objections, it would affect both administrative and academic work," he said.
Another principal told TNIE that even if the university takes them back, there will be no work for them in the university.
He wanted Bharathiar University and the DCE to resolve the complicated issues together, or the DCE should take up the teaching and non-teaching staff from the four colleges by making a policy decision.
When asked about it, Registrar R Rajavel told TNIE that they would convene a meeting with the principals in the coming week. He added that after discussions to resolve the issue, the matter would be taken up with the top officials of the higher education department.