Hitting out at the BJD Government for the poor state of affairs of the higher education sector in the State, State BJP president KV Singh Deo on Tuesday demanded a proper inquiry in the backdrop of the report of the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG).
“Higher education in backward districts has been completely neglected. The lack of perspective planning is particularly alarming as there is only one degree college in Nuapada for a population of about one lakh while there is only one junior college in Rayagada for a population of about 60,000 against the State average of 32,317,” Singh Deo told mediapersons here.
He said, “Starting from granting recognition to colleges, appointment of lecturers and their promotion and forming governing bodies to transfer of teachers, the Government has adopted a pick-and-choose policy thereby affecting the education sector and resulting in loss of crores of rupees to the exchequer.”
Alleging that in most of the colleges’ governing bodies (GBs) were frequently dissolved in mid-academic session, Singh Deo said only BJD leaders have been nominated in the GBs affecting quality education.
“The State Government has failed to surrender savings to the Centre. During 2008-14, the Higher Education Department had received Rs 7,088.92 crore through budgetary allocation, of which Rs 6,675.25 crore was utilised during the same period. Out of total saving of Rs 413.67 crore, the department did not surrender Rs 36.89 crore and no reasons were found on record,” added Singh Deo quoting the CAG revelation.
He also hit out at the Government saying that by not submitting proposals for eight degree colleges in backward areas the State is deprived of availing Central assistance of Rs 21.36 crore.
“While vacancies of teaching staff in Government colleges stand at 42.58 per cent and universities at 35.41 per cent, it was only in October 2013 that the concerned department initiated a process to recruit 624 lecturers on an ad hoc basis. Though the overall shortage of teaching staffs in non-Govemment aided colleges was on a lower side of 15.10 per cent, it was 23 per cent in such sample aided EIs. In 23 Government EIs, the vacancies were 45.44 per cent against the State average of 42.58 per cent,” Singh Deho said.
Mandatory provision of PhD degree for promotion to Reader as prescribed by the UGC was relaxed and 355 Senior lecturers of 44 institutions were promoted to Readers without any such degree.
“For promotion to Reader, in none of the cases research publications were called for from the concerned teaching staffs. The Departmental Scrutiny Committee did not have any subject expert representative. Similarly, 461 lecturers were primarily appointed in Els having no aided degree wing and were as such ineligible for the UGC scale of pay contrary to the Government resolutions of October 1989 and November 1990. Inadmissible payment of Rs 184.66 crore during 2008- 14 was incurred,” said Singh Deo.