Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao, who has been making arrangements for centenary celebrations of the prestigious Osmania University at a grand scale, is said to be worried over disastrous academic record, due to more than half of teaching staff posts were kept vacant over many years.
Osmania is one of the few oldest university in the country, founded in 1918 and also the first one in Telugu states. After two review meetings on the celebrations by the Deputy Chief Minister Kadiyam Srihari, who is also holding Education Ministry, Chief Minister himself held the third review meeting giving certain directions. In this regard, he has expressed concern over steep falling of standards and infrastructure in the university.
Academic circles concerned over the prevailing academic environment in the campus seems as a disturbing one. They are deploring that it was meaningless to organise celebrations without filling up these posts. Without filling vacancies, particularly Professor posts, it would be difficult for the university to continue its NAAC accreditation, for which peer review to be conducted later this year.
Alarmingly, there are only two qualified professors in the university. Around 40 professors retire every year and there is no ongoing recruitment to fill the posts. There are several departments without a qualified professor. The university is currently operating with contract staff, who do not possess the minimum required qualifications of PhD or NET, seriously impacting the quality of education and research on the campus.
Out of 152 sanctioned posts of Professors, 150 are vacant. Among 511 Associate Professor’s posts 450 are empty and as against the sanctioned strengthened of 601 Assistant Professors, 69 are vacant. Therefore, of 1264 posts, 669 are vacant.
Accusing that the State Government is making arrangements for centenary celebrations without actually solving the real problems, the BJP floor leader in the Assembly, G Kishan Reddy has demanded that the TRS Government should convene an all-party meeting to discuss these issues.
