PANAJI
Goa University, the State’s sole varsity is currently facing acute shortage of professors and associate professors, thanks to Goa government’s mandatory 15 years domicile criteria that have left these posts vacant since last four-five years.
The Varsity’s Executive Council, who on Friday deliberated the consistent drop in ranking at National Institutional Ranking Framework (NIRF), was of the opinion that the government need to relax the domicile criteria for the post of professors and associate professors as the State is not producing the required manpower.
Goa University vice chancellor Harilal Menon said that there are lot of vacancies of professors and associate professors pending for many years. “If we manage to fill those vacancies now, Goa University would be among the top Universities in the country in another five years,” he said.
During a recent event at the varsity, Chief Minister Pramod Sawant, who also holds education portfolio, had expressed resentment towards the State’s only university. He had said that despite providing required financial boost to infrastructure and human resource, the performance has seen consistent drop.
Executive Council Chairman Sudin Nayak said that there are various reasons associated to drop in ranking. He said that at present GU does not have professors and associate professors as all have retired over last five years.
“Those who are there are assistant professors and 80 per cent of them don’t even have PHD and hence they are not in position to guide the students,” he said.
“Why is this…I am asking why the positions are vacant… because Goa has made 15 years domicile mandatory for appointment of professors and associate professors. In Goa, we are not getting anyone with 15 years domicile,” he added.
Nayak said that the domicile rule can be made mandatory only for clerical and other administrative staff.
Yet another reason is increasing number of private universities across India and hence, we continue to slip down, he said informing that even the student intake is very limited with lower marks.
Nayak said that the varsity has already taken steps which would be a reality in next five years and we are confident that it will help our university to feature among the top 50.
