Faculty vacancies in Central varsities worry MPs

Taking a serious note of the large number of faculty positions lying vacant in central and state universities, a Parliamentary standing committee has suggested the Human Resource Development Ministry to play a “pro-active” role to expedite the filling up of sanctioned posts.

Describing the scenario as “discouraging” and “grim”, the panel in its report, tabled in Parliament recently, has noted that 6,374 posts out of a total sanctioned strength of 16,141 are lying vacant in 39 central universities. The maximum number of vacancies is for the post of professor. Out a total 2,314 sanctioned posts of professors, 1,193 posts are to be filled.

As per data available up to March 31, 2010, on an average 35 per cent faculty positions were lying vacant in 24 central universities across 16 states.

As regards state universities, data provided by the University Grants Commission (UGC) indicated that as on May 1, 2007, more than 50 per cent faculty positions were lying vacant in 19 out of 77 universities functioning under the states. About 40 per cent posts were lying vacant in other 14 universities in states, the panel noted.

“Mere opening of more and more educational institutions is not going to make any impact if these institutions do not have the faculty to impart education to student,” the panel underlined, expressing its displeasure over the shortage of faculties. The panel noted that it was “justified to some extent” in the case of newly set up central universities where a large number of posts are yet to be filled up. “But the shortage of teachers in old universities, some of them established many decades back clearly indicates that this issue has not engaged the attention of the concerned authorities in the right perspective,” it pointed out.

A total of 919 faculty positions out of the sanctioned strength of 1,701 are vacant in Delhi University, 848 out of sanctioned 2,395 posts in Banaras Hindu University, and 285 out of sanctioned 630 posts in Allahabad University.

In any organisation, there is a prescribed procedure for filling up the vacancies as and when they arise. The same is applicable in the case of central universities. “Posts are duly sanctioned, prescribed norms and procedure for recruitment is there and service conditions are also well specified. There can be only two possibilities, either our young students are not attracted towards teaching profession or the recruitment process is a prolonged one and involves too many procedural formalities,” the panel said.

In either case, the Department of HRD Ministry being the nodal authority for the entire country has to take proactive role so as to expedite the filling up of the sanctioned posts, it recommended.

It noted that problem of faculty shortage was also prevalent in private institutions and suggested there was “urgent need” to have an assessment of it so that corrective measures could be taken accordingly.