1 day ago
North Bengal University warns salaries threaten its finances
North Bengal University says it is having trouble paying 460 temporary workers.
Their salaries cost about ₹93 lakh every month.
The university says it has been paying this money itself, and that the state has not funded these salaries.
Its own income sources do not bring in enough money to cover the bill for long.
The university has asked the government for help.
It also has no permanent vice-chancellor and some important jobs are vacant.
A state minister said the government knows about problems in higher education and will take steps to address them.
North Bengal University says it is struggling to pay 460 temporary employees.
The university spends about ₹93 lakh each month, or roughly ₹11 crore a year, on their salaries.
Acting registrar Samar Biswas says the university has paid the bill from its own funds, without state funding for these salaries.
Biswas says the university’s income from self-financing courses, certificate-course commissions and distance learning is insufficient to sustain the costs.
The university is also facing a prolonged lack of a permanent vice-chancellor and vacancies in key posts, while a state minister said steps would be taken to address higher-education issues.
- Who
- North Bengal University, its 460 temporary employees, and acting registrar Samar Biswas.
- What
- The university says it is struggling to fund the employees’ salaries and is seeking government intervention.
- Where
- North Bengal University in Siliguri, West Bengal.
- When
- Biswas raised the issue at the closing programme of the university alumni association’s silver jubilee celebrations on Sunday.
- Why
- The university says its own income is insufficient to sustain a monthly salary bill of about ₹93 lakh, and the state has not taken responsibility for these employees’ salaries.
Key facts
- Temporary employees
- 460
- Monthly salary expenditure
- About ₹93 lakh
- Annual salary expenditure
- About ₹11 crore
- Funding source so far
- The university says it has paid the salaries from its own resources.
- Permanent vice-chancellor
- The university has reportedly been without one for around two-and-a-half years.
- Convocation
- The university has reportedly not held one for nearly eight years.
- State response
- Tourism minister Shankar Ghosh said necessary steps would be taken to address higher-education issues, including filling vacant vice-chancellor posts.
Quotes
Shankar Ghosh
West Bengal tourism minister and NBU alumnus
“NBU’s own sources of income are largely limited to a handful of self-financing courses, commissions earned from allowing a private organisation to conduct certificate courses and revenue from distance-learning programmes. These sources are inadequate to support a monthly salary commitment of nearly ₹1 crore.”
telegraphindia.com
“If the state does not take over the salary burden of the temporary employees immediately, it will become practically impossible to run the university.”
telegraphindia.com
Sources
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