Over 1,000 non-teaching posts not filled at Panjab University

Akashdeep Virk

Chandigarh, July 25

While Panjab University (PU) is reeling under shortage of teaching staff since years now, the situation is no different when it comes to the non-teaching staff.

According to sources, as on December 26 last year, there were 4,347 sanctioned positions for non-teaching staff and 1,032 of these were vacant. Also, there were additional 257 vacancies under the outsourcing provision for security staff and Class C staff. Out of these, 137 were vacant.

Out of the total 3,315 filled positions, 1,925 are regular employees while 41.931% i.e. 1,390 are contract/temporary employees.

“The university has over 200 colleges affiliated to it. The mark sheets, admit cards, etc, are all PU’s responsibility for which specialised staff is required. The university should have regular employees for the sake of accountability,” said a non-teaching official.

The official added that the university had around 200 multi-task service (MTS) staffers and around 150 of them worked in the Administration Building’s Examination Branch. “It is a dangerous trend to station MTS workers in a branch which deals with roll numbers and answer sheets of students,” he said.

The highest number of vacancies are in Class B cadre of ‘Technical and library staff and PU press staff’ where 488 out of 895 posts are vacant. An official from the construction office said the university campus had just one ‘whitewasher’ for buildings. Moreover, there is acute shortage of painters, mess and construction employees. Again, the authorities have to rely on MTS employees for the same.

“As many as 50 regular non-teaching employees retire every year. Instead of regularising contract employees working for 20-22 years, the university is promoting ‘thekedari’ (outsourcing) culture. In interest of the university, we demand regularisation of employees,” said Honey Thakur, president of Panjab University Staff Association.

“Hiring of employees and regularisation are more of a policy issue rather than a financial one. A committee had been formed on the issue of regularisation which has submitted its report to the Board of Finance. Such decisions take time,” said a senior university functionary.