JNTUH allows engineering colleges make temporary faculty appointments

Hyderabad: At a time when faculty members from several of its affiliated colleges are up in arms against non-payment and part payment of salaries, JNTU-H has come out with another shocker, allowing the colleges to appoint ad hoc faculty members for a period of six months.

A latest JNTUH circular said that it has been receiving requests from the colleges to grant permissions for the selection of the faculty members. Accordingly, it asked them to "ensure that the faculty members may be retained for at least one academic semester to ensure smooth and effective academic activity."

Further, the colleges are blamed that their violations of the affiliation "regulations in vogue concerning faculty selections, the university is in receipt of RTI, emails, letters, legal notices and court cases filed."

JNTUH said that is would treat all the faculty appointments done by the colleges invalid unless they are cleared by the selection committees constituted with the university nominees.

However, contracting the same and paving way for the colleges to appoint faculty members, it said that the university will notify "the selection process based on the number of requests received from the colleges." But, "if the university is unable to notify about the faculty selections and the colleges are willing to fill any of the faculty vacancy positions with eligible candidates, the list shall be intimated to the university," it said.

Also, if the college wishes to issue appointment letter to the eligible candidates as faculty members, then, the college are directed to do so, by mentioning that such appointments are the purely temporary and ad-hoc basis. And, their candidature is valid only after they are selected by a selection committee duly constituted by the university.

The Telangana State Technical Colleges Employees Association, State president A Santhosh Kumar demanded the JNTUH to withdraw its circular as it encourages colleges to run the show by appointing faculty for six months to procure affiliation and recognitions. And, subject them to the hire and fire policy affecting the job security to the faculty members.