Experts urge college teachers' rationalisation

Education experts and former college principals have called on the Higher Education Department to address the severe shortage of professors and lecturers in colleges across the province by rationalising teaching staff rather than hiring daily-wage college teaching interns.

They have demanded that surplus professors and lecturers be identified and transferred to colleges facing staff shortages.

Retired principals said the rationalisation process in colleges had been planned in 2010 but was not implemented despite all the necessary administrative preparations.

It was subsequently postponed to 2011 and, according to them, the same practice has continued for the past 16 years.

They alleged that despite preparations for rationalisation, the process is repeatedly postponed at the beginning of the academic year on one pretext or another.

As a temporary measure, hundreds of college teaching interns and temporary daily-wage teachers are hired at colleges facing staff shortages. According to the former principals, millions of rupees are being spent every month on their salaries.

Former principals and professors supported the demand for immediate rationalisation, calling all surplus teachers to be transferred to colleges where they are needed.