Tamil Nadu gov't colleges see rise in registration for admissions, but can infrastructure keep up?

In just ten days, more than 2.88 lakh students have registered for the Tamil Nadu Government Arts and Science College Admissions (TNGASA). While the number is expected to cross 3.5 lakh, colleges have been asked to continue the process of application till the CBSE Class XII results are out. But the concern that's rising among academicians is the increasing number of applications to the government colleges.  

They note that the infrastructure of these colleges aren't upgraded as per the rising number of applications each year. As it is, these colleges don't have enough classrooms, teachers, non-teaching staff, and laboratories, they explain.

The principal of a government college and member of the Tamil Nadu Government College Teachers Association (TNGCTA), who wished not to be named, said, "Though in the last two years the government started 20 new colleges, many colleges are being run in rented buildings with much fewer classrooms than required. For some colleges, funds are yet to be sanctioned even to buy tables, benches, or computers."

Government college authorities and teachers TNIE spoke to shared that many colleges don't have principals, and in some of the new colleges, teacher posts are yet to be sanctioned.

The shortage of teachers is a crucial problem that needs to be addressed immediately, academicians opined. "At least 7,000 teacher posts are vacant in government colleges. The government is running the show with 4,000 guest lecturers. In the last decade, only once was a recruitment drive for 1,000 teachers held, while the number of students has increased manifold," said Tamil Nadu Government Collegiate Teachers' Association president T Veeramani.

He opined that the State government recruit college teachers every year, and added, "The government should develop infrastructure in government colleges to help students from financially poor backgrounds."

On the other hand, the guest lecturers aren't happy too. "We are paid a lump sum of Rs 20,000, which is much less than the UGC's prescribed amount. How can we provide quality education if we ourselves are not satisfied?" asked a guest lecturer at a college in Chennai.

Attempts to reach the director of collegiate education for a comment went in vain.