Academic Strain Hits BGSBU Amid Faculty Crisis

Baba Ghulam Shah Badshah University faces a significant faculty shortage, with 60.4% of teaching posts vacant. All 22 professor positions are unfilled, leading to overburdened junior staff and affecting education quality. Administrative functions are also strained due to numerous unfilled positions as revealed by an RTI inquiry.

Baba Ghulam Shah Badshah University (BGSBU) in Jammu and Kashmir's Rajouri district is currently dealing with a critical shortage of faculty, leaving 60.4% of teaching positions unfilled. This includes all 22 professor roles, leading to significant pressure on the junior faculty and impacting the institution's educational quality, according to RTI activist Raman Kumar Sharma.

Kumar Sharma, who filed for information under the Right to Information Act in February, recently received confirmation from the university highlighting the stark absence of senior faculty. The institution is being held together by 80 assistant professors, 17 lecturers, and one teaching assistant, as they collectively shoulder the academic workload.

The university has a startling vacancy crisis with 48 out of 50 associate professor posts and 72 out of 82 assistant professor posts remaining open. This shortfall is compounded by administrative vacancies, including principal and registrar positions, which further strain the university's functioning.

(With inputs from agencies.)