The State universities facing acute crisis of teaching faculties since about a decade, may have to be content with contractual teachers for now as the Government despite all efforts is finding it very difficult to conduct the Jharkhand Eligibility Test (JET) for the purpose. Even after a long gap of ten years, no official announcement has been made for conducting JET. Despite, getting Cabinet’s nod a year ago for conducting JET annually, the attempts of Department of Higher and Technical Education seems feeble.
“Jharkhand Public Service Commission (JPSC) has been officially authorized to conduct JET. But due to some constrains like aversion of University Grant Commission (UGC) on conducting JET, no announcement has been made regarding this. Though we have not received anything in writing, officials from Central government have clarified their stance stating that only National Eligibility Test (NET) qualified candidates or Ph.D holders will be recruited on contract basis at different colleges,” said, Secretary, Department of Higher and Technical Education, Ajoy Kumar Singh.
Notably, sometime ago, the Department of Higher and Technical Education had released a communiqué stating that every consecutive year, JET will be conducted in order to bridge the gap of the teacher-students ratio which is skewed in most colleges here.
“The department has made several attempts regarding this yet UGC personnel are of the opinion that State level examination may degrade the standard of quality of education at colleges and universities, if teaching faculties are recruited through JET,” added Singh.
Meanwhile, an official at JPSC, requesting anonymity cited that the commission has been gearing up to conduct interviews of all the eligible candidates in the month of August 2017. Applications of all the aspirants are being verified at present. After the scrutiny gets complete, the candidates will be invited for interview. The officer also mentioned that JPSC is not going to conduct JET in the meantime.
Notably, few months back, JPSC made an announcement for recruiting Professors and Assistant Professors on contractual basis considering the requirement of different varsities especially after the introduction of Choice Based Credit System (CBCS) in all the colleges.
Also on the prerequisite of permanent faulty members that has been pending since 2008, it has become mandatory for the concerned department to get the recruitment process complete at the earliest.
As per the advertisement, only 80 qualified candidates will be appointed at a pay scale ranging from Rs. 15,600 to Rs. 39,100 with grade pay Rs. 6000 or Rs.5400 as per the Department rule, if the JPSC lecturer recruitment process gets complete in stimulated time.
Still, on the elaborate curriculum and as per the guidelines of UGC that recommends a maximum of two lecturers on 60 students in each class under the CBCS model may again get waddled badly if sufficient number of lecturers are not appointed on time and with immediatie effect.