VISAKHAPATNAM: N Sridhar, lecturer in Physics at a city corporate college is seen lately running from pillar to post daring the scorching heat; of course not for medical or financial emergencies but for enrolling students in his college. With competition reaching the peak, the managements of private colleges are pressurising their faculty to contribute their part in admissions. Though the trend started in 2011, the lecturers have got their targets set this year.The city has more than 150 junior colleges, both recognised and unrecognized, and heavy competition among them led to the unhealthy trend of luring students with false assurances and fee discounts. The managements are ‘purchasing’ the well-reputed lecturers and showing them off as ‘unique selling proposition’ to lure students besides stooping down to practices of offering discounts on the basis of caste, creed and nativity.“These managements these days want the employees to multitask and made us business executives. Earlier, we were not paid during vacation but now, we do draw salaries 12 months a year for supporting in admissions,” Sridhar told Express.“While the lecturers teaching group subjects have got a brand image, the language lecturers do not have much of demand and are usually told to do marketing. My management asked me to enroll at least 15 students this year, though it doesn’t sound wrong to me since I’m working for the institution,” opined Bhavani Shankar, an English lecturer working for a college in Gajuwaka.Meanwhile, both lecturers and non-teaching staff are thronging residential colonies with colourful brouchers about the SSC students awaiting their results. They also are at times making use of their personal contacts to influence parents.“The students can avail fee discounts if the name of the lecturer, who got him/her enrolled, is taken during admission. Well, it’s all a marketing strategy to publicise about the college,” says Sai Lakshmi, office manager of a reputed corporate college.
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