Are Telangana varsities turning into coaching centres?

Hyderabad: Are the State universities losing their character and turning more like coaching centres?

Barring the agriculture and technological varsities, the conventional one like Osmania, Kakatiya and others are reportedly failing in their full potential in taking up any serious activities.

According to sources in the Kakatiya and Osmania Universities, they have a chequered track record of producing best researchers earlier. However, firstly, the curse that fell on them was banning of faculty recruitment and successive governments continuing in the footsteps of their predecessors.

Speaking to The Hans India, a senior professor of life sciences at Osmania University pointed out, "A university is recognised for its research output more than anything else. But, for the past three decades, it was just conducting entrance, taking admissions, running classes with part-time faculty and awarding degrees."

Expressing similar views, "when former professors of Osmania and Kakatiya Universities, who were our research guides, while visiting campuses were at pain to see deterioration taking place. The State universities are turning more or less, like coaching centres," said another professor of social sciences of KU." A lot happened after the creation of separate State. But nothing changed much," he rued.

There are two main problems that the State universities are facing currently:

Firstly, existing faculty are overloaded with research scholars. In turn, there is no scope until all complete their doctoral submissions. Secondly, the universities should have a higher percentage faculty-research scholars ratio, as per the University Grants Commission (UGC) norms.

However, lack of faculty recruitment has left the universities in a lurch. "Currently, the universities research, in terms of faculty-research scholar's ratio, is only 50 per cent of its potential, given if each university has its full sanctioned strength of faculty," said sources in the KU. In case of OU the last time it admitted researchers was in 2017. Currently, it is only admitting those who have qualified for the Junior Research Fellowship (JRF) as research scholars.

Responding to a query, said a TSHED official, "the issue is under serious consideration. A decision on finalisation of policy and modalities of filling university teaching and non-teaching staff is expected soon".

When asked how soon? Since "decision is expected soon' has been the same standard response for the past three to four years, he said, "I can't comment on it." This makes even the senior officials in the department and the Education minister clueless. How soon is anybody's guess when it comes to the issue of the university faculty recruitment.