Daltonganj: Nearly two years after Nilamber-Pitamber University (NPU) took over the Model Degree College at Kurka in Chainpur block, the institution remains non-functional, with no students, teachers or administrative staff on its rolls.The college was handed over to NPU on Jan 28, 2025. However, admissions are yet to begin as appointments of faculty and non-teaching staff are pending, university officials said.Officials attributed the delay to the absence of approvals from the higher education department for recruitment and academic operations. The crisis has been compounded by an acute shortage of teachers across NPU’s 10 constituent colleges.Sources said NPU had no surplus faculty to deploy on the Kurka campus. The situation is reflected at the university’s Model Degree College in Chhatarpur, where nearly 600 students enrolled in arts and science courses are being taught by just two teachers.“There is no science teacher in this degree college except me (mathematics), yet the university offers science courses,” said professor in-charge Ravi Shankar.Vice-chancellor Dinesh Kumar Singh said the university had repeatedly brought the issue to the state govt’s notice. “We have roped in gold medallists to teach in govt colleges, but it is difficult to meet the growing vacancies,” he said.At present, the only regular presence on the Kurka campus is a local villager employed as a watchman. The multi-crore institution, planned to provide undergraduate education under the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020, remains unused.“The college has no electricity connection, though internal wiring and a borewell are in place,” Singh said, adding that overgrown vegetation had begun covering parts of the campus.Registrar Nafis Ahmad said the department had approved humanities and commerce streams, besides vocational courses such as BCA and office management and information technology. Twenty-eight posts, including those of principal, teachers and non-teaching staff, have been sanctioned but remain vacant.
