GAYA: Acute faculty shortage hits Magadh University MU ) as more than 800 posts of teacher in the faculties of arts, science, commerce and humanities are vacant for the last several years.The total number of sanctioned posts in the postgraduate departments and 19 constituent colleges and one government-funded minority college of the university, as per records, is 1,288 including the 64 sanctioned post of teachers in MG College, Gaya, the lone government-funded minority college tagged with MU. In April 2018, the number of working teachers was only 462. Over 50 teachers have reached the age of superannuation after April'2018. The number of currently working teachers is only about 400.The last time mass recruitment was made was in 2003 and altogether 128 teachers were given conditional appointment letters as the selection process and genuineness of the appointees was being probed by the Vigilance Investigation Bureau (VIB). “The investigation drags on till date and uncertainty haunts the 2003 appointees,” said university sources.In 2014, the BPSC advertised more than 500 vacancies. The appointment process proceeds at a snail’s pace. Following the bifurcation of universities in March'2018, candidates recommended by the BPSC will have to be shared with Pataliputra University as the posts were advertised for undivided MU and 25 of the 44 constituent colleges have now been attached to PPU.As per records, SN Sinha College, Tekari, S Sinha College, Jehanabad, SS College, Jehanabad, Daudnagar College, Daudnagar and ANS College, Nabinagar, are some of the colleges worst hit by faculty shortage. About 80% of the teaching positions in these colleges are vacant. As per budget papers of the university for the financial year 2018-19, as against a sanctioned strength of 46 teachers, only six teachers were working in SN Sinha College, Warisaliganj. The situation is no different in SS College, Jehanabad, where 60 of the 67 sanctioned posts lay vacant. Only 7 teachers were working in the college having more than 4,300 students on its rolls.Without giving the exact number of vacancies, MU VC Prof Qamar Ahsan conceded that PG departments and colleges were faced with acute faculty shortage. The VC said that part time/guest teachers would be engaged to meet the shortage of teachers. Recruitment of part time/guest teachers will be made in a transparent manner. Only such candidates who posses the qualification prescribed by the University Grants Commission (UGC) will be considered for appointment as temporary/guest teachers.According to sources, National Eligibility Test (NET) or State-level Eligibility Test (SET) clearance is a must for appointment to entry-level teaching positions. Such PhD degree holders who have obtained degree as per the 2009 regulation of the UGC are exempted from NET.

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