No subject, no student but Assistant Professors getting hefty salaries for sitting idle in colleges
In what could be termed as a classical example of policy paralysis that seriously dented the efforts to promote Dogri language, the UT administration either don’t have introduced Dogri subject in government degree colleges (GDCs) or have appointed Assistant Professors, who are getting handsome monthly salary, in GDCs having no enrollment of student for the subject.
Consequently, these Assistant Professors are forced to sit idle due to non-availability of Dogri subject and students, thereby causing huge loss to the public exchequer. More intriguing is that the Higher Education Department (HED) is yet to come out of the slumber and take some corrective measures to rationalize teaching staff appointed for the Dogri subject in degree colleges of the Jammu region.
“Loud claims have been made for promotion and preservation of Dogri language but not even a single voice has been raised to rationalize the staff in Dogri subject during the last eight months. The posts of Assistant Professors in degree colleges of Jammu city and other districts including Udhampur, which are largely inhabited by Dogri speaking people, are vacant but authorities shifted (in May this year) over a dozen of Assistant Professors to such colleges where the government either have not introduced Dogri subject or there is not even a single student of Dogri,” regretted a college teacher who declined to be named.
The teacher said, “It is a perfect example of sheer wastage of human resource as well as public exchequer. In GDC Nowshera, the government is yet to introduce Dogri subject but an Assistant Professor has been made to sit idle and get a salary without any work. Similarly, authorities shifted Assistant Professors of Dogri subject to Thathri, Doda, Gool, Banihal, Poonch, Rajouri and Kotranka (Budhal) colleges where there is hardly a student of Dogri subject. It poses a big question mark on policy making of those sitting at the helm of affairs”.
The more interesting fact is that the government has preferred to appoint a contractual person against the regular post in the college where Dogri has been introduced as one of the major subjects.
“We have written a letter to authorities for immediate rationalization of staff of the Dogri subject in degree colleges but nothing has been done till date. The department has not been channelizing our potential in the right direction. The salary of every Assistant Professor is at around rupees one lakh per month but they are being paid these salaries for sitting idle. It has also a negative impact on our personal growth, acumen and expertise in the subject,” narrated one of the Assistant Professors who has no student to teach in the college.
Dr. S.P. Sarswat, the nodal principal Jammu division, too admitted that some colleges don’t have Dogri subject but Assistant Professors of this particular subject have been appointed there. “There is no doubt that they are getting a good salary but have no work in the college. It is not only the wastage of human resource but also the loss to the public exchequer,” he said, adding “There was a complaint in the LG grievance cell with regard to low enrollment in Dogri subject. I made the reply and talked to the stakeholders (Dogri Sanstha people) who were satisfied with our response”.
