NEW DELHI: A parliamentary panel has expressed concern over 35 percent vacancies in faculty positions in 23 IITs of the country and has asked the Centre to streamline recruitment process in all institutions of higher education so that these vacancies are filled in time.
The Department related parliamentary standing committee on Human Resource Development in its report on Demand for Grants of the Department of Higher Education raised concerns over the shortage of faculty positions in all the institutions including the private ones.
Against the sanctioned faculty positions of 7744, there are 5672 while 2672 are lying vacant.
“The committee is anguished to find out that all kinds of institutions tight from well established Central Universities to those set up recently, state universities as well as private universities, premier institutions like IITs, NITs and IIMs, this problem has emerged as the biggest handicap for the development and growth of the higher education vis-à-vis maintaining the quality of education,” it said.
The committee pointed out that the availability of adequate and qualified faculty is a pre-requisite for quality education but not adequate efforts have been made by various authorities like ministry, University Grants Commission and other institutions.
Calling for expediting the recruitment process, the committee said that the whole process should start well in advance before the post is vacated so that after retirement, the newly recruited person takes up position immediately.
“The ministry should work in tandem with institutions to have this exercise on yearly basis and recruitment must be done in advance so that shortage does not develop into crisis,” the committee further said.
It recommended that in order to improve the position there should be an increase in the number of research fellowships for MPhil, PhD and Post Doctoral Program to create faculty for universities and colleges.