Inter colleges reopen to lukewarm attendance in Hyderabad

The start of the academic year was marred by a shortage of teaching staff. The absence of permanent junior lecturers (about 1,654), and reliance on guest faculty for the past five years have severely impacted the quality of education, rue lecturers.

They hoped that the government would expedite the recruitment process and fill the vacant positions on a priority basis. The guest faculty for the past two academic years is awaiting clarity on their permanent appointments. Despite the notifications for examinations and recruitment, no concrete orders have been issued, leaving a cloud of uncertainty over the academic future.

The government has announced the creation of new junior colleges but the administrative structure is still to take shape. Of the 15 newly established government junior colleges, none have a principal. They are relying on temporary in-charge posts to manage the institutions.

"This arrangement is insufficient to handle the operational challenges, causing delays and confusion among the faculty and students. As a result, admissions are taking a big hit," said a senior lecturer at a government college in Nampally.

Dr Koppisetti Suresh, general secretary of Telangana Gazetted Junior Lecturers Association (TGJLA), who held a couple of meetings with Shruti Ojha, director of intermediate education and secretary TSBIE, sought an immediate action plan for the incoming class 10 students transitioning into junior college.

“The lack of a structured admission drive and route-map from the intermediate board has affected the enrollment process. We need a clear and effective plan to ensure that students can smoothly transition and commence their studies without further delays,” he said.

The confusion extends to the availability of textbooks and study material as well. Students from government junior colleges are particularly disadvantaged, as the Telugu Akademi is yet to print the textbooks required for the academic year.

“It may take another 10-15 days for the textbooks to reach the colleges,” an official from the akademi mentioned.

"Even that's manageable as second year students are using second-hand books for now. Admissions are what the board needs to look into," said another member of TGJLA.

A parent spoke about the need for quicker scholarship disbursements as it would motivate more students to enroll in government colleges.