Baramulla, March 10: In the Government Women’s College in North Kashmir’s Baramulla non-subject specific faculty have been assigned to teach in the departments facing the shortage of staff. The move has sparked concerns about the standard of higher education in the region.
According to a circular issued by the college authorities, faculty from the Education, Physical Education, and Sports Departments are assigned to teach Political Science while Chemistry Department faculty are asked to teach Public Administration to the students.
Moreover, Botany Department faculty is assigned to teach Economics while as Zoology Department faculty will be teaching Social Work to students.
Adding to the chaos, the Mathematics Department faculty have been assigned to teach Philosophy subject.
In a circular under order No GDCWB/ 3011 Dated :08/3/2023, the college authorities assigned various departments the duty of engaging classes of the departments without staff.
The Women’s College Principal Maheen Mustafa told Rising Kashmir that the circular has been issued as a ‘temporary arrangement’ due to the lack of permanent faculty for these subjects.
She said that the Higher Education Department’s failure to send academic arrangements to the college is creating the issue.
“The faculty had been instructed to engage the students in different co-curricular activities to maintain discipline and not to teach classes. They have been directed to engage the students in computers, music and other co-curricular activities,” she said.
Principal Women’s College Baramulla said that at present the varsity is in need of 34 lecturers for various subjects.
“We are hopeful to receive new teachers as an academic arrangement so as to suffice the need,” she added.
A faculty member at Women’s College Baramulla told Rising Kashmir that there is a need for faculty members in various departments but nothing has been done on behalf of higher education authorities.
“On one hand they don’t want to involve the lecturers as an academic arrangement while on the other hand they are assigning non-subject specific faculty to teach classes in departments without staff,” he added.
Bisma Mohammad, a student at Women’s College Baramulla told Rising Kashmir that the colleges in the valley opened on February 14th but they are without faculty till date.
“Almost one month passed by and we are yet to have a proper class of Philosophy. How can a mathematics lecturer teach us philosophy,” she added.
The circular has raised concerns about the quality of education being compromised by the authorities.
