Though the State Government has planned to start a common course, called choice based credit system (CBCS) in all degree colleges irrespective of their status, it has hardly cared to look into their infrastructure and manpower position as a spade work for successful implementation of the new system. As a result, only a few elite colleges are likely to reap the dividends, while a vast majority would be pushed to the edge.
There are over 700 degree colleges in the State, but in terms of their facilities and manpower, they are wide gaps. The Government colleges and aided colleges have been assessed from time to time by the NAAC team and given grades. Given the grades they got, it is clear that most aided colleges need to up their standards as per the national parameters. leave aside the aided colleges, even the NAAC teams are not fully satisfied with the facilities and manpower in the Government colleges, barring a few. Because of poor facilities and large scale vacancies, besides very small number of teachers having higher qualifications like MPhil, PhD and other academic achievements as stipulated by the UGC, many colleges are deliberately avoiding the periodic NAAC assessment. That is the reason why many leading colleges and universities in the State are not having the valid NAAC accreditations at present.
University departments are manned by teachers on temporary arrangements, while there are many departments which are run by insufficient number of teachers. The situation in many Government and aided colleges is precarious. The Government has failed to recruit teachers for the degree level for long years leaving most institutions in the lurch.
Most teachers under Block Grant and taking degree course are underqualified. The Government in contravention of the UGC guidelines has prescribed 54 per cent in Post Graduation as the criterion to teach in degree colleges. Even those who are more qualified and are having the MPhil, PhD or other higher qualifications are not given any special treatment or financial benefits. This is strange that Odisha is the only State which undervalues higher qualification and merit in respect of the degree teachers under Block Grant mode. More disheartening is that under the Block Grant system, the Plus II and Plus III teachers, despite differences in their workloads and qualifications, are treated as one and given the same salary.
“The preparations in the run up to the implementation of the new degree syllabus thus look very poor. There is an urgent need to fill the vacancies of senior level teachers in various colleges. Their facilities also need to be upgraded. In this connection, the Block Grant colleges need special attention as they cut a sorry figure in every front. The Government, first of all, has to disband the Block Grant system and pay the teachers Grant-In-Aid (GIA). They need to be given special considerations for attaining higher qualifications and all other necessary periodic trainings,” said a teachers’ association leader here.