Dept in a fix over vacancies in colleges under GTA

KOLKATA, 6 FEB: The state higher education department is now in a fix with the vacant posts of government-aided colleges falling under the Gorkha Territorial Administration (GTA), which are all set to be filled up by the West Bengal College Service Commission (WBCSC). 

It has written to the Home department seeking advice whether the department should ask the WBCSC to keep the process of recruitment in those colleges in abeyance.   

The WBCSC had already started the process of recruitment for the posts of assistant professors and librarians. It received over 13,000 applications against 1,800 vacant posts. Around 40 posts lie with colleges falling under GTA.   

The state government has initially adopted a plan of setting up a separate wing of college service commission for GTA, said an official of the department, adding, “But that would take time as a new bill has to be passed. As of now it is undecided what will happen with the 40-some vacant posts ~ whether the college service commission would proceed or it would be held up.”  

The issue came to the notice of the department only after problem cropped up with the management of the Darjeeling Government College. Hence, the recent advertisement of the WBCSC that came in December last year seeking applications from the candidates did not have any inkling of this issue.   The transfer orders of two teachers from Darjeeling Government College to other government colleges of the state, issued late last year created an uproar. The department was forced to put the transfers on hold. It also issued a notification to transfer the management of the Darjeeling Government College to GTA. “We are aware that the higher education department has sought advice from the Home department regarding this. But we have not received any feedback from the department. We will act according to the department's instruction,” said an official of WBCSC. The commission is in the process of forming interview panels for each subject. This time the recruitment is vital since this is taking place after four years and this is the first time that there will be uniform panel for all universities.  If the department decided to exclude the colleges from the WBCSC, the number of vacant post will come down for which candidates of North Bengal would face problem. 

Source: thestatesman