Central universities’ report card:35% teachers’ posts vacant, can do better
Delhi university tops the list with 833 vacancies; state’s only central varsity in Wardha to fill 34 posts
Of the 17,092 teaching posts in central universities in the country, 6,141 (35%) are vacant, according to the data released by the Human Resource Development (HRD) ministry, with the University of Delhi (DU) topping the list with 833 vacant seats. Maharashtra has only one central university in Wardha, which has 34 vacancies for teachers.
Rajib Ray, president of Delhi University Teachers’ Association (DUTA), said, “To say that only 833 posts are vacant in DU is wrong because as of today at least 4,000 teachers are working with various DU colleges on an ad-hoc basis, whereas for some post even ad-hoc appointments have not been done. The government asks the university to fill up the post, while the university blames the vacancies on government regulations that make it difficult to hire new teachers. Despite a court order, there has been no change.”
While DU vice-chancellor Yogesh Tyagi was unavailable for comment, another senior official from the university pointed at efforts taken by the university to bridge the gap. “There have been demands for a one-time regulation from the government to make these ad-hoc posts permanent. We are working on it,” said the official.
The situation is no different in state universities. According to data from the University of Mumbai, 61% (468 of 761) of its affiliated colleges function without a permanent principal.
“We had applied for four posts, but only two were sanctioned this year. The government officials simply refused to sanction more posts. The least they can do is give us a decent reason for it,” said a principal of a suburban college, adding, “There are more vacancies for new courses. Running a course is easy, but getting sanctions for teachers take time.”
“The posts are sanctioned when the requirement arises. In case of a new college or department, the process takes time because the government has to ensure that they can function properly,” said an official from the state education department.
“What’s even worse is the quality of teachers who have been applying for jobs of late. We need better teacher training schools too,” said Marie Fernandes, principal of St Andrew’s College in Bandra.
