50% of NIT Srinagar faculty will be from outside state: Centre

 The HRD ministry has said efforts will be made to fill up 50% of the teaching positions at the institute with faculties from outside the Jammu and Kashmir.

Making an assurance to students, the Human Resources Development (HRD) ministry also said there will be fair evaluation of their examination papers and expressed its readiness to look into their demands for action against some of the staff and faculty members accused of discriminating against non-Kashmiri students in the institute.

The ministry, however, remained firm on its stand that no outstation student will be shifted from the NIT-Srinagar campus, maintaining that such a move, if accepted, would have “larger implications,” a student privy to the last week’s meeting of NIT-Srinagar delegation and HRD Minister Smriti Irani told DH.

“The ministry officials said shifting of outstation students cannot be a solution. They assured filling up of 50% teaching positions with faculties from outside the state but insisted that the ministry cannot force any teacher to join NIT-Srinagar. The minister paid a patient hearing to the students and assured of examining their other demands,” he added.

Students said more than 70% faculties at the NIT Srinagar were temporary staff. “The institute has never taken a sincere effort to fill up teaching posts with permanent faculties.

Ministry officials said shifting of outstation students cannot be a solution. They assured filling up of 50% teaching positions with faculties from outside but insisted that the ministry cannot force any teacher to join NIT-Srinagar