MLCs disappointed over 80% vacancies in Telangana varsities

Hyderabad: Expressing concern over about 80 per cent of teaching posts in the State universities lying vacant for years, Members in the Legislative Council on Thursday asked the government to take immediate steps to take up recruitment.

S Vani Devi raised the issue of implementation of the University Grants Commission (UGC) pay scales to faculty and disbursal of pensions to professors who retired before January 1, 2016, according to revised pay scales.

Participating in the discussion, T Jeevan Reddy and Alugubelli Narsi Reddy expressed disappointment, saying that 80 per cent of teaching positions in State universities remained vacant. "This despite the government issuing a GO in 2017 for phase-wise filling of vacant posts.

Jeevan Reddy said the government had given nod to fill 1,061 faculty positions in the first phase in 11 State universities. "It is almost four years and it remained only on paper," he said, adding, "The government has a responsibility to strengthen the State universities."

He said most colleges have been running with contract and guest lecturers for the past 15 years. The government issued orders to implement transfer of contract lecturers on November 15,2020. However, it was not implemented. He demanded the government to take up issue of exemption of contract lecturers, as the IT department has been implementing deduction of 10 per cent IT from their salaries. He also asked the government to take back contract lecturers working in its junior colleges as physical classes have been resumed across the State.

Syed Aminul Hasan Jafri (AIMIM) sought to know the enhancement of age for teaching staff in universities, as is done in medical education. He called for protecting autonomy of universities, by forming a committee under the Telangana State Council of Higher Education (TSCHE), for filling vacant posts.

Later, in a special mention, Narsi Reddy asked the government to apply the revised UGC pay scales to contract lecturers working in universities.

Education Minister Sabita Indra Reddy said there was a delay in filling vacancies on account of litigation. She assured that steps have been taken to discuss finalising modalities to fill vacancies. The JNTU-H has already paid pensions to 3,350 retired teaching faculty. The other universities have sent a proposal for grants to meet the same.