Shortage of teachers in IITs and IIMs, says Centre
NEW DELHI: As many as 4,502 faculty posts are lying vacant in the prestigious Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs), the centre told the Lok Sabha on Monday.
In a written reply, Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan said 493 teaching positions need to be filled up in the Indian Institutes of Management (IIMs) out of the sanctioned strength of 1566.
He said out of the 18,956 sanctioned teaching posts in 45 central universities, 12776 seats are filled up, and 6180 posts are vacant as on December 1, 2022.
According to data shared by the minister, out of the 6180 posts lying vacant in the central universities, 1529 positions are of professors, 2304 of associate professors and 2347of assistant professors.
Of the total vacant positions in the central universities, 908 jobs – in the three categories of professor, associate professors and assistant professors - of Scheduled Castes (SC) need to be filled out of the sanctioned posts of 2284. Similarly, 544 positions of Scheduled Tribes (ST) need to be filled in the three categories out of the sanctioned posts of 1142.
Also, 1559 Other Backward Castes (OBC) teaching positions are lying vacant against the sanctioned strength of 3451. About 301 positions of Persons With Disabilities (PWD) need to be filled in central universities in the three categories against the sanctioned strength of 513 positions.
In IIMs, of the total vacant posts, 53 positions are of SC out of the sanctioned strength of 97; 34 of ST out of 40 positions; and 98 of OBC out of 184.
There is no separate category for PWD in IIMs. No break-up was given for IITs.
“The Ministry of Education has also directed all higher education institutions to fill up the vacancies in a mission mode,” the minister said in a written reply.
“Occurrence of vacancies and filling thereof is a continuous process,” the minister said.
Pradhan said in addition to writing to all the Higher Educational Institutes (HEIs) to fill up the vacancies in a mission mode; the ministry has set up a monthly monitoring mechanism.
The Central Educational Institutions (Reservation in Teachers Cadre) Act, 2019, was notified on July 9, 2019, to ensure the preparation of the rosters by considering the university as a unit.
Also, according to the Act, reservation is applicable in all the HEIs except the institutions listed in the schedule and a few other exceptions stated in the Act.
Further, as per this Act, reservation is provided for all posts in direct recruitment in the teacher’s cadre in Central Educational Institutions. After enactment of this Act, no reserved seat is to be de-reserved, the minister added.