The four new National Institute of Pharmaceutical Education and Research (NIPERs), established last year under the NIPER Act, in Ahmedabad, Hajipur, Hyderabad and Kolkata, do not have permanent faculty and formal approval even after the completion of their one year of operations.

According to sources, the four institutes, which were placed under the mentor institutes such as Indian Institute of Chemicals Technology (IICT) Hyderabad, Indian Institute of Chemicals Biology (IICB) Kolkata, Rajendra Memorial Research Institute of Medical Sciences (RMRIMS) Patna and B V Patel Research Institute of Pharmaceutical Education and Research Centre (PERD) Centre, Ahmedabad, have established under the programme to start new NIPER like institutes. However, they are not yet approved formally and all of them are expected to receive the formal approval in another three to four months.

Sources said that unless they get formal approval from the government, they would not be able to appoint faculty permanently. Now, all these four institutes are either appointing faculty for one year or taking faculty from the respective mentor institutes. It is learnt that though the institutes are receiving applications, most of candidates are not interested to work on a contract basis. Moreover, some of them are unable to find established research-based faculty members.

It is learnt that all these institutes are expected to have full permanent faculty only in another three to four years. According to informed sources, NIPER Ahmedabad, which started class for the second batch by the middle of July 2008, has 12 full-time teaching faculties and is also drawing faculty from other institutes. Like other three NIPERs, it also draws visiting faculty from the industry. NIPER Hyderabad, which started class for second batch on August 1, 2008, draws entire teaching faculty from its mentor institute IICT. Sources at NIPER Hajipur said that the second batch of it is slated to commence in September and it has received 78 applications for the post of teaching faculty this year.

Sources stated the government started the institutes in a hurry and they are operating from makeshift facilities. However, all the four new institutes have said that the absence of permanent faculty does have any impact on the academic matters.