NBA recognition: Vacant posts a hurdle for technical colleges

AHMEDABAD: The state technical education department had recently instructed the technical colleges in Gujarat to register with the National Board of Accreditation so that foreign students can study here under exchange programmes.
However, one of the parameters for this accreditation is adequate teaching staff. According to sources, 296 of 534 teachers’ posts in Class 1 category are vacant in the state and this will be a major hurdle for colleges seeking NBA accreditation.
Sources said that 212 of the total vacant positions can be filled if the technical education department promotes assistant professors as professors. According to sources, the department did not promote the teachers from 2012 to 2015 and these 212 eligible assistant professors have been waiting for their promotions since. Some of them even approached the high court on this issue but there has been no resolution to the problem.
Sources said that the commissioner of technical education has invited applications from government technical colleges many times for promotions but has not promoted teachers or recruited new teachers on these vacant posts.
According to sources, recently, an association of government engineering college employees wrote to the chief minister demanding that the government promote eligible teachers as soon as possible to resolve this matter.