The Hindu : Karnataka / Bangalore News : It’s an elephantine problem for them

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Friday, Aug 08, 2008
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Karnataka

Karnataka - Bangalore

It’s an elephantine problem for them

B. S. Satish Kumar

Teaching in veterinary colleges affected

51 per cent of teaching posts in veterinary colleges are vacant
There is a severe shortage of postgraduates
in veterinary science

BANGALORE: Teaching and research in veterinary sciences in Karnataka is getting affected because of the dearth of qualified manpower. Such is the shortage that 51 per cent of teaching posts in the veterinary colleges of Karnataka are lying vacant, according to Karnataka Veterinary, Animal and Fisheries Sciences University (KVAFSU) Vice-Chancellor Suresh S. Honnappagol. In terms of numbers, 750 posts of professor, associate professor and assistant professor are vacant.

Only those who have acquired a postgraduate degree and have also cleared the National Eligibility Test (NET) can teach in veterinary colleges, as per the norms of the Indian Council for Agricultural Research (ICAR) and the Veterinary Council of India. But the number of such persons are now very small, as there has been a sudden dip in the number of students opting for postgraduate courses in veterinary sciences.

Prof. Honnappagol told The Hindu that there were 180 seats in the two colleges that offered postgraduate courses in Karnataka. Though these seats get filled initially, the students discontinue the course, as there were plenty of job opportunities for the basic veterinary degree qualification. In real terms, only 10 to 12 per cent of the students complete the postgraduate courses every year in veterinary sciences. Hence, only 18 to 22 become postgraduates in veterinary sciences every year.

Another problem is that not all those who complete their postgraduate courses are interested in taking up a career in teaching. Some of them look for opportunities abroad.

What has made matters complex is that some of those who have completed postgraduation and interested in taking up a teaching career have failed to clear the NET.

Former Vice-Chancellor of KVAFSU Dr. Srinivasa Gowda, observes that this kind of severe shortage of postgraduates would not only affect teaching and research, but also add to the agrarian crisis, which is gripping the State.

To find a solution to this, the university is thinking of requesting the State Government to provide adequate scholarships to all those pursuing postgraduate courses in veterinary sciences so that there will be an incentive for students to continue higher studies.

Sometime ago, the university had even requested the State Government and the ICAR to relax the eligibility norms for appointment to teaching posts so that the university itself can conduct an internal examination instead of NET. It had also suggested that those who had not cleared NET should be allowed to be appointed on the condition that their appointment would stand cancelled if they did not clear the eligibility test within a specified time.

However, the university is yet to get any response to its request. In such a situation, the varsity is trying to manage the show by depending on the services of retired teachers.

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