Mangaluru: Colleges affiliated with Mangalore University, particularly constituent and government colleges, are urging the state government to finalize the recruitment of guest faculty before the start of the academic year. The delay in appointing guest faculty has impacted the timely conduct of classes. In the previous academic year (2023-24), classes began in mid-August, but guest faculty, hired for a 10-month period, only joined on October 7. Their contracts will expire on August 7, 2024. This delay forced permanent faculty to manage classes for nearly one-and-a-half months, affecting the overall teaching process.
“Considering this, we are urging the concerned departments to expedite the recruitment process so that guest faculty can join when classes begin. This will ensure a smooth start and enable us to complete the syllabus on time. Currently, examinations are ongoing, and guest faculty have no teaching job for a month, yet they are paid. Timely recruitment can also save funds,” shared a principal of a government first-grade college.
An assistant professor from another government first-grade college echoed this sentiment, requesting the department of collegiate education and Mangalore University to conduct interviews soon. “Early recruitment will help start classes without a staff crunch. For many years, guest faculty have joined only a month after the academic year starts,” he said.
However, the department of collegiate education cited ongoing recruitment of permanent staff and legal challenges related to faculty transfers as obstacles. Raju Mogaveera, the registrar of Mangalore University, mentioned the transition from the National Education Policy (NEP) to the State Education Policy (SEP) is underway, and the workload determination will dictate the number of guest faculty needed.