OU supports astronomy post-graduates demands MSc grads seek faculty posts

MSc Astronomy graduates from Osmania University find themselves in an unenviable situation as they are not eligible to teach physics as junior lecturers in govt junior colleges and PGT Gurukalam.

Candidates and the University demands that the Intermediate Education board give appointments to the MSc Astronomy graduates as junior lecturers and PGT. Department of Astronomy in Osmania University questions, why can't the students be eligible to teach physics in govt colleges when they can teach the same in polytechnic institutions, while the board of Intermediate Education said that MSc Astronomy is not equivalent to Physics.

The candidates who pursue this course study Physics as their main subject at UG level and the course content of the MSc Astronomy covers major components of Physics to the extent of almost 60% of the MSc Physics course. According to Osmania University, candidates who passed MSc astronomy are eligible to teach Physics at Inter, Polytechnic and Undergraduate levels as per the declaration of All India Council for Technical Education, New Delhi.

Osmania University has also issued several letters to concerned departments requesting them to consider the candidates who passed the MSc Astronomy course from the University should be considered for appointments to the posts of Junior Lecturer and PGT(Gurukulam) to teach Physics.

27-year-old Sathish Kumar who is still unemployed said, ‘’We have got our admissions in this course based on Physics and we are studying Physics since intermediate level but we are not considered eligible for posts of Junior lecturers, in spite of having more than 60% of physics in MSc Astronomy, due to which almost all the postgradu-