Nalgonda: Staff crunch, lack of infrastructure plague Mahatma Gandhi University

Nalgonda: The Mahatma Gandhi University, which was established in 2012 after repeated agitations by the students and local leaders, has been struggling with the issue of staff crunch, lack of infrastructure and financial aid from the government for the last seven years.

The university, which started off by offering five courses in Pangal then, at present is offering 20 courses at its campus and of the 20 courses, 10 are budgeted courses and remaining are self-financed.

Over 1,800 students are pursuing their studies in various courses offered by the varsity and over 100 colleges affiliated to the varsity are offering graduate and post-graduate courses.

Despite the good strength, the university is facing lots of issues such as staff crunch, lack of proper buildings and financial aid from the State government.

As per the rule, the universities must have one Professor, two Associate Professors, four Assistant Professors for each course on a regular basis. But in MGU, of the 70 sanctioned posts for budgeted 10 courses, 35 teaching staff were recruited in two phases and the remaining 35 posts are yet to be filled. Interestingly, the 32 posts filled in second phase of recruitment process became controversial and the recruited members are continuing their services with court stay.

Meanwhile, the university is running all the 10 self-financed courses with the help of contract teaching staff as there are no sanctioned posts to these courses, and is paying salaries to the staff with the fee paid by the students of self-financing courses.

Despite the varsity running with the mercy of contract and part-time teaching staff, there is a discrimination with regard to payment for part-time staff. While the university is paying Rs 700 per hour to those working under sanctioned post, the part-time staff are paid just Rs 300 per hour.

Further, due to lack of proper buildings to conduct classes, the varsity is conducting engineering first year and second year classes at varsity's permanent campus at Anneparthy, whereas third year and fourth year classes of engineering and MCA are being conducted on varsity's old premises in Pangal.

At present, the university is constructing the buildings for engineering college, examination branch, staff quarters, Vice-Chancellor's residence, one more boys hostel, extension of girls hostel and sports complex and an amphitheater on the varsity premises. About 60 per cent of the works have been finished so far and the remaining works would be completed in next few months. Interestingly, the university is using all its financial sources for the construction of ongoing new buildings as the State government has not released sanctioned development grant of Rs 35 crore for 2017-18 financial year and 25 crore for 2018-19. However, the government has released only Rs 2.25 crore of the sanctioned Rs 4.15 crore development grant for the 2019-20 year.

Meanwhile, the university official have kept high hopes on Rs 20 crore sanctioned under Rashtriya Uchchatar Shiksha Abhiyan, for the development of required infrastructure and buildings.

On the condition of anonymity, the staff and the students informed that there was a need for additional buildings, regular staff, new courses, health centre, bank branch, post office branch and many more for the MGU to become a full-fledged university.

Meanwhile, after the tenure of Vice-Chancellor Altaf Hussain in June this year, IAS officer Aravind Kumar was appointed In-charge VC of the university. However, it came to be known that Aravind Kumar has not visited the varsity after being appointed as In-charge VC, and varsity Registrar M Yadagiri is looking into the matters concerning the university.

Speaking to The Hans India, varsity Registrar M Yadagiri informed that the university was trying its best to provide facilities, training, sports, library and other facilities to the students and added that the university had received Rs 15 lakh cash prize under Haritha Mitra Award for carrying out plantation drive in the university under last year's Haritha Haram programme.