Chandigarh, October 22
Lack of adequate infrastructural facilities in government colleges and vacant posts of teacher is taking a toll on the standard of higher education in colleges affiliated to Panjab University.
These findings, a part of the report on inspections conducted in 29 colleges of Punjab and Chandigarh between 2000 and 2002, to be tabled in the Syndicate next week, also mentioned that the bane of higher education was that most colleges were functioning without regular principals.
Five colleges, Guru Nanak Girls College, Model Town, and Khalsa College, Civil Lines, Ludhiana, DM College of Education, Moga, Khalsa College of Education, Muktsar, and Government College, Tanda, are without regular principals.
During inspection at Government College, Kamransar, a team comprising Prof P.P. Arya and Dr Ajaib Singh found that the college building was in bad shape with no maintenance of college grounds, no proper canteen and no boundary wall. The report mentions that snakes are all over the place and are easily sighted in classrooms as well. There has been no reply from the principal on these findings.
An inspection at Lala Lajpat Rai Government College, Dhudike (Moga),
conducted by Principal Tarsem Bahiya and Dr Mukesh Arora, revealed that only four permanent teaching staff members were employed against 13 posts. There were no teachers for English, chemistry, political science, physical education and geography. The college was also lacking in non-teaching staff. The college has been directed to report on the findings.
Teachers working at the MB College for Women, Ramgarh, have not been confirmed and are not being paid salaries according to the UGC norms. There was no permanent librarian and medical officer according to the findings of Prof S.L. Sharma and Principal Harmeet Kaur.
The Senate members who carried out these inspections, in their respective reports, have pointed out that qualified teaching staff are not available in the unaided colleges of the university and the staff are not being paid according to the UGC guidelines.
In colleges where deficiencies have been pointed out by the Fellows, some of them have already initiated remedial action, while others have disputed the findings of the two-member committee. These colleges have been asked to give their comments on the deficiencies.
The report, to be discussed at the Syndicate meeting slated for October 28, will recommend issuing of a warning to the erring colleges to the Senate. Meanwhile, the university has constituted another committee for the next 30 colleges to be inspected.
Panjab University is the only university in the region to carry out inspections of affiliated colleges every four years and point out deficiencies for remedial steps.
