AHMEDABAD: The posts of permanent principals in 27 out of 31 government polytechnic colleges are vacant in the state.
Sources in the education department say the situation has arisen due to wrong interpretation of All India Council of Technical Education (AICTE) norms by the state government.
“As per the AICTE rules, the candidate eligible for the post of principal should hold a doctorate degree or should have ME/MTech degree. The government is not considering candidates with ME/MTech and is looking only for PhD holders,” said sources.
There is a dearth of PhD candidates willing to take up the job and temporary posts are being created instead.
In case of self-financed diploma colleges, the situation is different as they have appointed candidates with ME/MTech qualification for the post of college principals.
“The council has laid down the rules for appointment of college principals but the state government has interpreted them in their own way. Some government colleges have appointed principals on a temporary basis while in other cases lecturers are working as in-charge principals,” said sources.
Gujarat Technological University takes strict action against colleges that do not have a permanent principal by imposing penalty and reducing the number of seats.
