M A I N   N E W S

Punjab not to hike college fee
600 ad hoc lecturers to be recruited
From Jangveer Singh
Tribune News Service

PATIALA, Aug 18 — In a major policy decision, the Punjab Government has dropped the proposal to hike fees in colleges and universities besides deciding to recruit 600 ad hoc lecturers to fill all vacant posts in rural colleges of the state.

Sources said the state Cabinet did not approve the fee hike proposal, feeling it would have an adverse political fallout. However, a four-member ministerial committee has been constituted to consider the matter afresh.

The Higher Education Minister, master Mohan Lal, while confirming the cabinet decision, said it was felt that the fee hike would take education out of the reach of the common man. He said the decision on a fresh hike had been left completely to the ministerial committee, which could suggest an alternative hike.

The shelving of the fee hike proposal is a setback for the Education Department, which had claimed that it was necessary to provide quality education besides ensuring adequate revenue for educational institutions in the state. The proposal had been arrived at following submission of a special report by a committee formed for the purpose. The Higher Education Ministry had advocated a hike in the tuition fee from Rs 25 to Rs 125 and in admission fee from Rs 50 to Rs 300.

The department has, meanwhile, decided to recruit 600 teachers on an ad hoc basis immediately to fill vacancies in rural colleges. Master Mohan Lal said the teachers would be paid Rs 8,000 per month for eight months in a year from August 1 to March 31. He said all ad hoc teachers would have to serve in rural colleges for a minimum of three years.

He said while ad hoc teachers would be recruited from this academic session itself, new principals would be appointed shortly.

He said now it had been decided in principle that all fresh appointees would have to serve in rural colleges for a minimum of three years.

Master Mohan Lal said the department was also in the process of rationalising all posts in rural colleges. It has been brought to the notice of the department that science teachers had been posted in colleges where there were no students in the science stream. All such teachers would be reallocated. Besides, the government would make an earnest attempt to broaden the education base in the rural colleges through introduction of professional courses.

He said 35 professional courses had been identified by his ministry for the purpose and that 15 had been started in some colleges. Computer education would also be introduced as a subject in colleges, he added.