J&K Govt to crack whip on 'blue-eyed' teachers overstaying in colleges, seeks details
Panel on rationalisation of HEIs to meet on Feb 07
Srinagar: The Jammu and Kashmir government has finally woken up to address the chronic problem of overstaying teachers, mostly influential and blue-eyed, in colleges across the Union Territory, even as a high-level panel is meeting on February 7 to discuss rationalisation of Higher Education Institutions.
Notably, the decision has been taken amid the complaints received by the HED regarding overstaying of some blue eyed Professors in colleges located in City and towns.
The Higher Education Department (HED) has issued a letter to the Nodal Principals of the Government Degree Colleges (GDCs) of Kashmir and Jammu division to furnish the list of the overstayed gazetted, non-gazetted and class IV employees in the Degree Colleges of both the divisions.
"Furnish the list of the employees, having tenure of more than five years in the colleges of your divisions within two days," reads a letter issued by Director Colleges J&K to nodal principal Kashmir and Jammu division colleges.
The letter was issued after a communication was sent by the HED to the Director Colleges J&K by the administrative department to submit details of such employees for rationalisation of the staff in the degree colleges.
In wake of this, the Nodal principals have asked the Principals of the concerned colleges to submit the details of the employees within two days.
The college faculty by and large have hailed the government for taking this decision noting that it was important that the department ensures fair and equal opportunity for all employees of HED to serve at city collegescolleges.
"Dozens of blue-eyed college teachers are overstaying in the city colleges for more than a decade. Instead of focusing on academics, these overstaying professors hatch conspiracies to sabotage all the government decisions and other initiatives taken to bring reforms in the higher education sector," a college professor said.
The college professor said that even if some of the blue eyed college teachers were shifted from the City college, they managed to return within a few months revealing corruption and nepotism.
"Such incidents have raised apprehensions of monopoly and an atmosphere of corruption in prime city colleges and other institutions located at prime locations," the professor said.
Notably, the HED in the recent past introduced an Online Transfer Portal with an aim to rationalise the teaching staff in the colleges and also to reshuffle the overstaying faculty members of the colleges. "But, the initiative is yet to be implemented as these overstaying professors created a strong lobby to delay its implementation on ground," the Professor said.
"During past years, the department prepared a list of over staying teaching faculty in the colleges in which it was revealed that some college teachers were never shifted for more than 15 years from the colleges," a college professor said, wishing not to be named.
Notably, a reshuffle of college teachers was ordered during previous years in order to strengthen the newly established colleges. However, most of the blue eyed teachers were not touched during the reshuffle.
"After that the department prepared a list of senior professors for their promotion as College principals and the names of overstaying college teachers also figured in the list. Some of them were shifted while others continued to stay at their present place of postings," the professor said.
The HED, in the past, issued an order that the College teachers recruited under reserved categories will have to serve in far off areas for some years. "But nobody knows the fate of that order. That was never implemented on ground," the professor said.
As per the fresh circular, the HED has decided to reshuffle all the overstaying college teachers which has raised hopes among college teachers of fair and transparent postings on merits. Meanwhile, Principal Secretary HED Alok Kumar when contacted said the people overstaying at one place should be transferred which will be done at an appropriate time. "People (professors) will not be allowed to develop their roots at one place (College)," he said.
Meanwhile, the high-level panel which is scheduled to meet on February 7 will discuss rationalisation of Higher Education Institutions and paucity of human resources in new colleges.
As per the meeting notice, the panel will discuss rationalisation of existing Higher Educational Institutions besides holding deliberations on the criteria for opening of future Higher Educational Institution in the J&K UT.
"Besides taking up various reformative decisions, the J&K government took a lead in implementation of the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 from school to University level." (GK)
