Saraswati College of Engineering

Kharghar

Mumbai University

Yadavrao Tasgaonkar College of Engineering

Saraswati Education Society

41% of 1.38 lakh engineering seats in Maharashtra were vacant last year. To cope with the resulting cash crunch, colleges are allegedly holding back faculty members’ salaries.Faculty members at many engineering campuses in the state have not been paid for months, a distressing indicator of a once-booming college industry in a funk.Experts say engineering colleges, especially private ones, are struggling to draw new students, which has resulted in empty seats inside lecture halls and left the institutes without enough funds to pay their staff and function normally. Alleged financial mismanagement and diversion of fees to other educational ventures by some colleges have worsened the problem.Last year, 41 per cent, or over 56,000, of 1.38 lakh engineering seats (government and private) in Maharashtra were vacant, according to the Directorate of Technical Education (DTE). In 2016, the situation was no better with 64,625 unfilled seats. The vacancies are highest in private, unaided colleges.Fewer enrolments have hit teachers’ paychecks and they have begun boycotting classes in protest, a cycle of events that threatens to hit aspiring engineers’ studies.Nearly 130 faculty members at, have not been taking lectures for over a month now as they have not been paid regularly, a problem they claimed started four years ago.“We were not paid for eight months. We received some money on Monday, but it is only a month’s salary,” a professor at the college said. “How do we manage our households or even pay for our children’s education? I am close to having a mental breakdown.”The professor alleged the college management redirected funds it received from students into other projects and authorities atand DTE did nothing to protect teachers and students’ interests.The principal of Saraswati college, Manjusha Deshmukh, did not respond to Mirror’s calls or messages on Tuesday.“Most of us are aged between 40 and 50. It’s too late for us look for new jobs. Besides, there is demand for only young talent in the market as their starting salaries are not high,” the professor said. “An assistant professor usually draws Rs 50,000 a month. A younger teacher can be hired on a monthly salary of Rs 40,000.”The staff at& Management in Karjat also narrated similar woes. Seventy-five teachers are currently boycotting classes there. Many students are worried that the protest will hit the academic and exam schedule.Yadavrao Tasgaonkar and Saraswati colleges are managed by the same organisation,“For the past few years, we have not been getting our salaries regularly. We are paid for only a few months, so we are forced to borrow money from friends and relatives,” said Deepak Wagh, one of the agitating teachers at Yadavrao Tasgaonkar college. “How can we give our best to students when we are under so much stress over finances?”Saraswati society’s chairman, Nandkumar Tasgaonkar, was not available for comment.The faculty at three other engineering campuses — BR Harne College in Thane, Indira Gandhi College in Ghansoli, and AC Patil College in Kharghar — are reportedly facing similar challenges because of vacant seats and alleged financial mismanagement. It was not immediately possible to contact officials of the three colleges and staff members there were reluctant to publicly to discuss their grievances fearing a backlash at work.Vaibhav Narwade, a senate member of Mumbai University and an educator, raised the issues plaguing engineering colleges during the senate budget session on March 30 and 31. He demanded an inquiry into the financial affairs of colleges.“Unpaid salaries, it’s a big problem. Many teachers have stopped taking lectures and if this continues, colleges may not be able to conduct exams,” Narawade, who heads the Mumbai University and College Teachers’ Association, told Mirror. “All of this is putting students under tremendous stress as they don’t know what will happen. Why should students or teachers suffer because of college management’s mistakes?”A drop in enrolments, he added, cannot be a reason for holding back salaries. A private college charges fees of around Rs 1 lakh from a student. “Where did all the money go?” Narawade asked.Abhay Wagh, director, DTE, could not be reached for a comment. The university’s acting vice-chancellor, Devanand Shinde, said pending salaries was a serious issue and a high-level committee had been formed to examine it.“This committee comprises members from the management and academic councils and senate. They will conduct inspections at colleges and suggest corrective steps for issues ranging from academic to financial,” he said.