Politicos tear Jawaharlal Nehru Technological Universities apart

Hyderabad: “Electoral politics” by ministers in their respective districts has put the Jawaharlal Nehru Technological Universities in Hyderabad, Anantapur and Kakinada in a tight spot.

With a view to gain political mileage in their respective constituencies and districts, the ministers are putting pressure on JNTUs to set up constituent engineering colleges.

However, these universities are in a financial mess and can’t run the show unless the government releases funds amounting to hundreds of crores of rupees each to construct academic buildings, hostels, libraries, mess facilities etc. besides appointing sufficient faculty.

It all started with the establishment of the JNTUH constituent college in 2006 by the late Chief Minister Y.S. Rajasekhar Reddy in his constituency Pulivendula in Kadapa district. Till 2008, there was only one JNTU in Hyderabad and students from all regions of the state would vie with each other to secure seats in this top technological university and only toppers in Eamcet got seats.

YSR divided JNTUH into three universities. Besides JNTUH, there were two new universities established in Anantapur and Kakinada. Though a fourth JNTU was also established in Hyderabad, it caters to fine arts and Architecture courses. Later,  roads and buildings minister in YSR’s Cabinet, Jeevan Reddy, had secured a constituent college in Kondagattu in Karimnagar, his home district, in 2007.

Higher education minister D. Sridhar Babu, had followed suit and secured a new constituent college in his constituency Manthani in Karimnagar district in 2010 during Konijeti Rosaiah’s regime. The current higher education minister, C. Damodara Raja Narasimha, who was elevated as the deputy Chief Minister with the same portfolio, secured another constituent college at Sulthanpur in his home district Medak in 2012.

It was then the turn of Chief Minister N. Kiran Kumar Reddy himself to sanction another constituent college in his constituency Kalikiri in Chittoor district in 2013. PCC president Botsa Satyanarayana, as a minister in YSR’s Cabinet, had also secured a constituent college at Dwarapudi in Vizianagaram district in 2008.

Now, information minister D.K. Aruna wants a constituent college in her home district Mahbubnagar, preferably in her constituency Gadwal. She wants the college to be set up before the general elections in 2014.

“The proposal to set up another constituent college in Mahbubnagar district has been pending with the government since last year. Once the government approves, JNTUH will establish the new constituent college,” said a senior official of JNTU.

JNTUH sources, meanwhile, say though there is nothing wrong in setting up new constituent colleges, which will provide fresh opportunities for students in districts to pursue engineering courses under the “JNTU” brand, it should be done in a “planned manner” else students will suffer due to lack of facilities and faculty.

For instance, the classes for students of Sulthanpur were conducted in a degree college in Sangareddy last year. This year some classrooms were constructed at Sulthanpur and classes are being conducted there.

However, all the JNTU constituent colleges are facing severe dearth of faculty. There are very few professors and associate professors in these colleges. Mostly classes are being taken by entrylevel assistant professors. The colleges are even struggling to pay the salaries of the staff.

JNTUH was forced to transfer some of its professors and associate professors to these constituent colleges on deputation basis, which in turn affected the parent university.

The JNTUs are currently running the show with contract staff as the constituent colleges were planned on 'political grounds" in a hasty manner instead of need-based and in a planned manner, said sources.

JNTU officials thus say that the time has come for the government to think twice before sanctioning a new constituent college in any district, else the parent universities will be relegated to "constituent college" status due to dearth of funds and faculty.