B R Ambedkar University yet to get 12B status in Srikakulam

Srikakulam: B R Ambedkar University (BRAU), Etcherla in Srikakulam district, has been facing institutional issues. The post-graduate (PG) centre in Etcherla was upgraded as varsity in June 2008 with the initiative of former chief minister Y S Rajasekhara Reddy. Even after 12 years, the university is yet to get 12B status given by the UGC, which facilitates financial assistance to eligible colleges, which are included under Section 2(f) and declared fit to receive Central assistance under Section 12(B).

Currently, BRAU is depending on the State government funds, as a result, basic facilities and quality teaching remained a dream at the varsity. The varsity offers 16 courses in science, arts, law and languages. For all these 16 departments or faculties, 11 regular professors are available. Besides this, 74 teaching associates on contract basis and 10 subject-wise contract teachers are available. Two years ago, the recruitment process for teaching posts had been initiated to recruit 15 backlog posts and 33 regular posts.

But due to court cases the process has been in pending for more than one year. With the 12B status, the university will get funds directly from the UGC every year. But before granting 12B status, UGC team of experts have to inspect facilities at the university both in terms of quality and quantity. The team members are concentrating on availability of qualified teaching faculty, physical facilities, students' attendance in classroom, teaching and evaluation process.

But there are no adequate teaching staff for quality teaching in the university and classes are also not going well in respective courses. In this backdrop, the UGC team of experts will inspect facilities at the university for two days on July 11-12. "We are planning to explain overall situation at the campus to team members how we are working for improvement of the campus" VC K Ramji and Registrar K Raghu Babu told The Hans India.