The private Aided Colleges in Punjab – under acute staff crunch: a descriptive analysis

Punjab is having one central university, ten state universities, two deemed universities, twelve private universities, six autonomous colleges, ten medical colleges and many technical & professional colleges. Punjab University, Chandigarh (1948) is having 186 affiliated colleges providing general higher education; (ii) Punjabi University, Patiala (1962) is having 221 affiliated colleges providing general higher education; and (iii) Guru Nanak Dev University, Amritsar (1969) is having 151 affiliated colleges providing general higher education in the state which constitute total number of 558 affiliated colleges providing general higher education in Punjab out of which 48 are government colleges, 136 are private aided colleges and remaining 374 are purely private self financing colleges. This shows that there is a mushroom growth of purely private self financing colleges providing general higher education in Punjab. Most of them are working with unqualified faculty with profit motive which is against the spirit of encouraging quality education in India especially Punjab. Out of colleges recognized by the UGC under Section 2 (f) and 12 (B) of the UGC Act, 136 private aided colleges are situated in the state of Punjab. Such colleges come under the umbrella of grant-in-aid scheme which was started by the Punjab government in 1978 to encourage the managements of private colleges to open more colleges for the youth of Punjab. At the time of implementation of 95 percent deficit grant-in-aid scheme for salary in 1978, the posts were sanctioned on the basis of student strength and teaching workload existed as on 1/11/1977. Further review of posts for such colleges on the basis of student strength and teaching workload existed after every ten years was also assured in this scheme. However, only one review of posts in these colleges is made on the basis of student strength and teaching workload existed as on 1/11/1981 for regularizing and sanctioning the expansion of posts under this scheme. In 1986, 229 posts were sanctioned by the Punjab government to such colleges to promote Punjabi language in the state. Now a period of 29 years has passed. Number of changes have taken place during this period. No review of posts have done by the state government. Thus, the review and rationalization of posts of teachers in these colleges is needed, now, very urgently. Out of 3,568 posts of teachers in these colleges, 1925 posts as on December 2012 have been lying vacant due to the ban imposed by the Punjab Government on the recruitment of teachers in such colleges since 27^th of July 2005 by taking decision only at a secretariat level but not through a Cabinet decision. Thus, it is concluded that all these efforts of the state government have put Punjab from top to fourth rank from the last in GER (18–23 year) among the thirty states.