Cash-crunch forces varsities to close departments

Anantapur: Human anatomy, a key subject in medical teaching, faces an acute shortage of professors in medical colleges. After a senior professor of the anatomy department succumbed to Covid a few days ago, there is no one to teach the subject in Anantapur Government Medical College. In fact, this situation prevails in most medical colleges in the state.

Shortage of faculty is forcing varsities and technical institutions to close some departments from the next academic year.

For instance, in the absence of recruitments, Sri Krishnadevaraya University in Anantapur is closing 10 departments next year. Already English department has been closed in many universities following the retirement of the existing faculty.

JNTUs at Anantapur and Kakinada face serious shortage of faculty, including key departments in both graduation and post graduation. More than 400 vacancies exist in JNTUA alone. Professional courses such as agriculture, pharma and diploma colleges are bearing the brunt.

“Even after completing the six-year Pharm D course, many students are struggling for jobs as there are no campus recruitments”, lamented members of the student association.

Several universities are unable to go about fact-finding committee inspections for grant of affiliation to private degree colleges. Interestingly, more than 300 PhD thesis books submitted in 2019 have not been cleared for adjudication in Rayalaseema University reportedly due to staff crunch.

AISF leader Manohar demanded the government to fill up the vacancies and maintain quality failing which the entire system could collapse. As it is, companies are not keen on hiring students from these varsities, and only five engineering colleges in the region attract recruiters.

A senior JNTUA professor called for reforms in the system based on which they should go about recruitment of faculty.