Teacher, staff shortage hampers academic activities at SAU

Shortage of teachers, officials and staff is seriously hampering the academic activities at Sylhet Agricultural University.
According to sources of the university, more than 60 per cent approved posts of teachers and 78 per cent posts of officials and staff have remained vacant since the university started its journey in 2006.
The sources said only 87 teachers against 220 posts and only 157 employees against 730 posts had so far been appointed at the university.
An official of the university administration said, ‘Twenty-five teachers’ study leave has intensified the teacher crisis at four faculties in the university.’
He said the university authorities did not take any initiative to recruit administrative officers in most of the key-posts including registrar, treasurer, examination controller, librarian, chief engineer and chief medical officer.
A good number of students said as the senior teachers were obliged to perform various administrative duties, they got little time to conduct classes, and as a result, academic activities of the university were being seriously hampered.
‘Neither the academic activities nor the administrative works are being accomplished properly because of the existing shortage of teachers and staff,’ a senior teacher of the university said.
Apart from the teacher’s shortage, inadequate number of classrooms and lab technicians also disrupted the academic activities, campus sources said.
The university started its activities with four faculties — veterinary and animal science faculty, agriculture faculty, fisheries faculty and agricultural economics and business study faculty.
The students of the four faculties, however, had to attend classes and examinations at the lone building of the veterinary and animal science faculty.
Being contacted, the university vice-chancellor, Professor Abdul Awal, told New Age that they had formally requested the University Grants Commission for permission to appoint new teachers, officials and employees in the vacant posts.
‘Construction work of the agriculture faculty and fisheries faculty building has already started on the campus to solve the crisis,’ he said, adding that teachers’ recruitment in agricultural economics and business study faculty was under process.

Courtesy of NewAgebd