37 out of Gujarat’s 47 government engineering colleges operating without permanent principals

A severe leadership and staffing crisis has gripped government technical education institutions in Gujarat, with 37 out of 47 government-run degree and diploma engineering colleges currently operating without a permanent principal.

Data reveals that half of the state’s government degree engineering colleges and almost all government polytechnics lack regular heads. Of the 16 government degree engineering colleges, eight are functioning without permanent principals, while 29 of the 31 government polytechnics are being run by in-charge principals.

Officials said only two polytechnic colleges in the state currently have permanent principals. With one of them due to retire in February, just one polytechnic is expected to have a regular principal thereafter. Government rules have reportedly delayed fresh appointments, leaving institutions without stable leadership.

The situation is similar in degree engineering colleges across districts such as Ahmedabad, Gandhinagar, Bhavnagar, Surat, Patan and Palanpur. Colleges in Modasa, Dahod, Valsad, Bharuch and Godhra are among those functioning under temporary arrangements.

Alongside the leadership vacuum, government engineering colleges are facing acute shortages of teaching and non-teaching staff. In degree colleges, 73 out of 135 sanctioned posts of professors, 81 out of 383 associate professor posts and 461 out of 1,467 assistant professor posts remain vacant. In non-teaching categories, 310 of 478 Class-III posts are unfilled.

The staffing shortfall is even more pronounced in polytechnic institutions, where 84 of 171 Class-I posts, 182 of 2,232 Class-II posts, 720 of 1,060 Class-III posts and 403 of 527 Class-IV posts are vacant.

Academics have raised concerns that, despite the restructuring of seats and introduction of new branches over the past four years, teaching staff have not been deployed accordingly. 

Furthermore, several teachers have reportedly been assigned to administrative duties or government programmes, affecting classroom teaching.