OU Urdu department in dire straits with no regular faculty

A silent crisis has unfolded in the classrooms of the historic Osmania University (OU), which has the credit of being the first varsity in the country to introduce Urdu as a medium of instruction.

Hyderabad: A silent crisis has unfolded in the classrooms of the historic Osmania University (OU), which has the credit of being the first varsity in the country to introduce Urdu as a medium of instruction. The Urdu Department at OU College of Arts and Social Sciences is in dire straits with no regular faculty to teach students.

Since the superannuation of its last professor in 2021, the department has been running the show with just three part-time teachers. In the absence of regular faculty members, the Urdu Department is headed by a regular faculty member of the Arabic Department, who is also discharging duties as in-charge principal of the college apart from heading the Arabic and Archaeology departments. “Against four subjects, we have three part-time teachers who conduct classes. They are knowledgeable and doing their best for the department,” said Sandeep, an MA student in the Urdu Department.

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The situation has come to a point where the department has been engaging the services of the faculty members of the constituent and government degree colleges under the ambit of Osmania University for holding examinations and evaluation works.

Osmania University, one of the oldest universities in the country, was established by Nizam VII Mir Osman Ali Khan with Urdu as a medium of instruction on April 26, 1917. To ensure that various books are readily available for university students in Urdu medium, the department was set up on August 28, 1918, to take up translation works. In 1923, the department rolled out its first MA Urdu course. “During the retirement of Prof Shukoor, some people cried as the department, which had a rich history and legacy, has been left with no regular faculty. It is unfortunate to see the department in this situation,” a professor said.

Similar is the predicament of the Ancient Indian History Culture and Archaeology, French, and German departments that have been operating with only academic consultants. Departments including Communication and Journalism, Arabic, and Public Administration have only one regular faculty member. As per the University Grants Commission (UGC) norms, a department should have at least one professor, two associate professors, and four assistant professors.