CAG picks up loopholes in HED
The Comptroller and Auditor General (CEG) has pulled up Higher Education Department (HED) for its failure to streamline the students teacher ratio in Colleges across J&K state.
In its latest report, CAG has stated that non-adherence to prescribed ratio by AICTE affected the quality of education imparted to students.
“It (student-pupil ration) has reflected in low pass out rate which was between 68 and 80 percent and also low campus placements which was between 10 and 21 percent during 2011-12 to 2015-16 ,” CAG report states.
Interestingly, the latest CAG report was produced by the J&K government in the last special assembly session convened by the government to pass the controversial GST bill.
In its report, CAG has stated that the department stated that filling of vacant posts had been taken up and the student teacher ratio was within AICTE norms as the faculty members included permanent staff as well as adhoc staff and guest lecturers.
The CAG has revealed that the shortage of teaching staff has witnessed an increasing trend in degree colleges over the past five years.
As per the report, the shortage of teachers in a college was 11 in 2011-12 which increased to 22 in 2015-16.
“In 2011-12, number of teachers in a college is 29 with an enrolment of 597 students at a ratio of 1:21. Against the required ratio of 1:15, the teacher student ratio in college was reported as 1:40. In 2015-16 the ratio was reported as 1:49 with a shortage of 22 teachers in a college,” CAG reveals.
The CAG reveals state that the Expenditure Reforms Commission (ERC) recommended a ratio of 1:1.1 between teaching and non-teaching posts for AICTE approved institutions.
“The ratio of teaching and non-teaching staff in the sanctioned strength remained 1:2.6 and in the effective strength ranged between 1:3.6 and 1:3.9,” CAG reads.
However, the Higher Education Department as per CAG has stated that the matter of filling of vacant posts had been taken up with the HED “and the academic arrangement of staff had been made against the vacant posts to fulfill the norms.”
The CAG in its report has also picked loopholes over shortage of infrastructure in colleges.
In its report, CAG has stated that according to approval of AICTE for establishment of the College, the state government was to acquire land for the college as per AICTE norms and build necessary infrastructure within three years of approval.
“Audit noticed that even after lapse of 21 years, the required infrastructure had not been created by the state government,” CAG reveals. It states that out of 11 buildings and other infrastructure, two were completed, three were under progress and work on six projects could not be started.
KV Correspondent
