Nearly 300 colleges out the 527 affiliated to the University of Pune (UoP) may not be in a position to proceed with their admissions in the next academic year, if they do not fill up the posts of principals, which have been lying vacant for eight to 10 years in many colleges. This follows an order by the Nagpur bench of the Bombay High Court last month saying that the vacant posts of principals and teachers should be filled before May 31. According to the order, if the colleges fail to appoint the principals, the universities should start the process of disaffiliation of these colleges from the academic year 2010-11.
The UoP has taken cognisance of the order and issued letters to the colleges about appointing full-time principals on December 24. 'Now we will issue fresh directives to those colleges that don't have full-time principals. The parent organisations that are running these colleges will really have to hurry up to fill up the posts,' said Pandit Vidyasagar, director of the UoP's board of college and university development.
