Classroom crisis

The requisite eligibility of candidates for these posts is the National Eligibility Test NET. The forty new colleges need about 350 lecturers and principals. Only 50 candidates who have cleared NET have applied to these colleges.

8216;8216;One applicant has been selected at many colleges. When we go to the colleges for inspection we are surprised to see the same name in over six to eight colleges,8217;8217; says a member of the inspection committee of Panjab University. He adds that for these 40 new colleges there are not even 25 qualified principals.

Says Dr J N Joshi, former chairman of the Northern Regional Committee for National Council for Teachers Education NCTE, 8216;8216;The quality is sure to take a backseat as the government is issuing no objection certificates NOC to all colleges. Everyone has been allowed to open colleges even though there are not enough teachers.8217;8217;

He adds that it is chiefly the state government8217;s prerogative to issue NOCs. 8216;8216;Once the NOC has been issued, the NCTE has no choice but to give its approval to such colleges,8217;8217; he says, blaming the state government for not keeping a check on the mad rush.

But G K Singh, officer on special duty with the higher eduction minister Rajinder Kaur Bhattal, defends the government decision: 8216;8216;It8217;s good that the government is increasing the number of colleges to adjust thousands of candidates.8217;8217;

But he is curiously silent on the problem of the state having too many students and too few teachers.