Tragic state of our Universities — University of Pune’s Institutes run sans approved teachers

A Supreme Court order had asked colleges to have full-time approved principals and teachers in place or face punitive action like a ban on admissions to first year of courses in the 2011- 12 session. Seventy-seven of the 125 colleges have secured court relief against possible action. The university will stop admissions in the 48 other colleges.

At the meeting, senate members raised questions on how exams for students from these colleges were conducted, who assessed their papers and what action the varsity was taking to ban first-year admissions in the 48 colleges.

They also demanded a panel to probe how the local inquiry committees recommended continuation of affiliation for the 125 colleges. Director of UoP’s board of college and university development W. N. Gade and controller of exams S. M. Ahire could not placate the senate, which wanted to know if answer papers were assessed at the colleges lacking approved staff.

Ironically, the university was recently accorded the highest ‘A’ grade by the National Assessment and Accreditation Council. The university’s approval of teaching staff makes students of affiliated colleges eligible for exams. Without approved teachers/principals, a college cannot be an exam centre. Students then take their exams in the nearest college with approved staff. If the college is unable to accommodate more students, it assigns two approved teachers to the college to be ‘custodians’ of the varsity’s exam material, including answer papers.

The norms are ambiguous on who should assess answer papers of colleges lacking approved teachers.