<p>When Governor Thaawarchand Gehlot red-flagged the acute shortage of faculty in Karnataka’s state universities and sought additional funding from Chief Minister Siddaramaiah at the recent Vice-Chancellors’ conference, he articulated a crisis that has long been normalised. What followed, however, was an attempt to reframe the problem rather than confront it. Siddaramaiah himself admitted that many universities were operating with nearly 60 per cent teaching vacancies. But his defence that top global universities function with guest lecturers rests on a fundamentally flawed comparison. In Karnataka, ‘guest lecturers’ are not visiting experts delivering niche courses. They are temporary, ad hoc or contractual teachers appointed against sanctioned vacant posts. They work full-time, receive lower remuneration than regular teachers, and enjoy zero job security. To equate this arrangement with the guest faculty model of reputed global universities is misleading.</p>.Fake certificates: Probe must go deep.<p>At leading international institutions, guest faculty are distinguished academics, industry leaders or public figures and policymakers. They complement a strong permanent faculty; they do not replace it. Can the state government claim that its universities routinely invite such personalities? Even if the intent exists, where are the funds to support this model? Flawed expansion policies have exacerbated the problem. The ‘one district, one university’ approach has widened the system without creating matching infrastructure or faculty strength. Added to this are special varsities such as folk and music universities, established without a sustainable academic or financial blueprint, further stretching limited resources. Public universities cannot charge exorbitant fees like private institutions; so, the contention that they could generate their own funds is flawed. The suggestion to tap into Corporate Social Responsibility funds is easier said than done, given the lack of institutional support. A majority of Vice-Chancellors are academicians who come with little administrative experience to run large organisations or engage with major corporations.</p>.<p>Fortunately, the legal tolerance for this ad hocism is wearing thin. In January, the Supreme Court issued a stern directive against the mass reliance on temporary teachers. It reiterated that one temporary teacher cannot be replaced by another, described the practice of disguising permanent work as guest faculty as exploitation, and ordered all higher education institutions to fill chronic faculty vacancies within four months. Higher education in Karnataka needs reimagining, not rhetorical justification. State universities must be enabled to produce capable, industry-ready graduates, not mediocrity shaped by neglect. Starving them of funds while normalising contractual teaching is a policy failure. Universities are not budgetary inconveniences; they are temples of education, and they must be treated as such.</p><p><em>(Disclaimer: The views expressed above are the author's own. They do not necessarily reflect the views of DH.)</em></p>
<p>When Governor Thaawarchand Gehlot red-flagged the acute shortage of faculty in Karnataka’s state universities and sought additional funding from Chief Minister Siddaramaiah at the recent Vice-Chancellors’ conference, he articulated a crisis that has long been normalised. What followed, however, was an attempt to reframe the problem rather than confront it. Siddaramaiah himself admitted that many universities were operating with nearly 60 per cent teaching vacancies. But his defence that top global universities function with guest lecturers rests on a fundamentally flawed comparison. In Karnataka, ‘guest lecturers’ are not visiting experts delivering niche courses. They are temporary, ad hoc or contractual teachers appointed against sanctioned vacant posts. They work full-time, receive lower remuneration than regular teachers, and enjoy zero job security. To equate this arrangement with the guest faculty model of reputed global universities is misleading.</p>.Fake certificates: Probe must go deep.<p>At leading international institutions, guest faculty are distinguished academics, industry leaders or public figures and policymakers. They complement a strong permanent faculty; they do not replace it. Can the state government claim that its universities routinely invite such personalities? Even if the intent exists, where are the funds to support this model? Flawed expansion policies have exacerbated the problem. The ‘one district, one university’ approach has widened the system without creating matching infrastructure or faculty strength. Added to this are special varsities such as folk and music universities, established without a sustainable academic or financial blueprint, further stretching limited resources. Public universities cannot charge exorbitant fees like private institutions; so, the contention that they could generate their own funds is flawed. The suggestion to tap into Corporate Social Responsibility funds is easier said than done, given the lack of institutional support. A majority of Vice-Chancellors are academicians who come with little administrative experience to run large organisations or engage with major corporations.</p>.<p>Fortunately, the legal tolerance for this ad hocism is wearing thin. In January, the Supreme Court issued a stern directive against the mass reliance on temporary teachers. It reiterated that one temporary teacher cannot be replaced by another, described the practice of disguising permanent work as guest faculty as exploitation, and ordered all higher education institutions to fill chronic faculty vacancies within four months. Higher education in Karnataka needs reimagining, not rhetorical justification. State universities must be enabled to produce capable, industry-ready graduates, not mediocrity shaped by neglect. Starving them of funds while normalising contractual teaching is a policy failure. Universities are not budgetary inconveniences; they are temples of education, and they must be treated as such.</p><p><em>(Disclaimer: The views expressed above are the author's own. They do not necessarily reflect the views of DH.)</em></p>
