HYDERABAD : The state govern ment has pushed its junior colleges into a crisis by giving promotions to 1,000 junior lecturers during the middle of the academic year. The promoted lecturers have been posted in degree colleges.

While the junior lecturers are elated about their longpending promotions becoming a reality, about two lakh students, mostly from the socially and economically weaker sections of society, who are studying in 820 government junior colleges are shocked to find that there will be no lecturers to teach them.

Students are criticising the government for giving promotions to the lecturers during the middle of the academic year and that too, when the public exams are to be held on March 7, which is not too far away.

There are only 5,700 permanent lecturers who work in government junior colleges. According to officials of the higher education department, it would take at least two months to find lecturers for the 1,000 posts that fell vacant on account of the promotions.