New varsities to grapple with staff shortage

When the Bangalore University itself is struggling to provide teachers for its current batches of students, how will the creation of two new universities cope?

This is the question many have been asking, considering that more than 50 per cent of the teaching and non-teaching posts is vacant.

302 teaching posts vacant

Out of the total 636 sanctioned teaching posts in Bangalore University, 302 posts are vacant.

Similarly, of the total 1,572 non-teaching posts, 799 are vacant.

Currently, the university hires guest lectures to fill these spots — an arrangement that leads of disruption of the teaching schedules as well as high rate of cancellations.

“Quality of higher education is not taken seriously by the government. With severe staff shortage in the university, research activities in universities are suffering,” said Ramachandra Gowda, President of Karnataka University Teachers Federation.