Why outsource teaching staff, why not recruit them, asks High Court

The Telangana High Court quizzed the government and UGC-affiliated private educational institutions for appointing teaching staff and lecturers by outsourcing method rather than going in for regular appointment.

Justice B. Vijaysen Reddy wanted to know why this system was prevalent only in Telangana state. Even teachers were hired by way of outsourcing and given a break after 11 months in service before being re-appointed. This has to be looked into thoroughly, Justice Reddy observed.

A division bench comprising Chief Justice Hima Kohli and Justice Vijaysen Reddy was dealing with a taken-up PIL, based on a letter addressed by advocate Karanam Shravan Kumar, who brought the practice to the notice of the court.

Shravan Kumar pointed out that there were only 13 regular staff members in governmentrun teacher training institutes out of 212 sanctioned posts whereas it was an equally poor 20 per cent in universities and government colleges.

He informed that since decades no new government engineering, polytechnic or professional training colleges have been set up in the state, though the government has been paying thousands of crores to private colleges in the form of fee reimbursement. Private professional colleges affiliated to government varsities and UGC have to follow norms in appointments of teaching staff and payment of salaries. But, most of the institutes fail to comply with the guidelines, he said.

Taking stock of the issues raised in the letter, the court sought an explanation from the government and universities. The court also appointed S. Rahul Reddy as amicus curiae to assist the court in this issue.

●TAKING STOCK of the issues raised in the letter, the court sought an explanation from the government and universities.