State sends principals back to classes to teach

Updated on: Friday, November 04, 2011

There is more work for principals who exclusively shouldered the burden of administering a college. The state government has pushed them back to the classrooms, mandating that they must teach for at least four hours a week, which translates to six lectures.

The decision was taken after the government felt that principals must chip in as teachers given that professor shortage is rife and part-time faculty is being appointed to fill in the gap for a large number of courses in degree colleges across the state.

For principals who were earlier not bound to conduct lectures, this decision means “a tough juggle between running the college and taking classes,” said a principal.

In fact, some called the move retrograde. For in 1981, the state government had passed a resolution that expected every principal to teach. However, with the University Grants Commission (UGC) remaining silent on the teaching component of college heads, the state government relaxed the teaching duty of principals in 2010.

Suddenly after that, the deputy director (higher education) saw a spurt in new appointments with part-time faculty being hired to take over the principals’ teaching burden. “That also saw an increase in the financial burden of the state,” said an officer.

Now, the state’s reasoning is that the UGC norms define a principal as a teacher too, making teaching mandatory for the former. The resolution also stated that part-time teachers appointed to fill up the principals’ teaching component must be relieved.
Naresh Chandra, president of the University of Mumbai Colleges’ Principals’ Association, welcomed the move and said, “Principals are also academicians and must stay in touch with their subject.”

State sends principals back to classes to teach

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