Mumbai: Severe shortage of teachers and non-teaching staff in government and state-aided colleges in Maharashtra is creating hurdles in the implementation of the National Education Policy (NEP). With nearly 11,900 assistant professor posts and 12,500 non-teaching positions in colleges across the state lying vacant as of December 2024, institutions are finding it difficult to maintain academic standards while also adjusting to demands of the new curriculum.
CP Radhakrishnan, the governor and chancellor of all state universities, held a meeting last week with higher and technical education minister Chandrakant Patil and senior department officials to address the issue. He is considering revising the recruitment criteria and has said he will hold a joint meeting of all state university vice-chancellors soon, education department officials told Hindustan Times.
“It will be very difficult to manage staff for the various courses we need to offer under the NEP. We need permanent staff,” said the principal of a state-aided college in south Mumbai. “We are hiring teachers on clock-hour basis currently, but most don’t continue beyond six months owing to low remuneration at government-approved rates and inflation.”
Severe shortage
Of the 31,185 sanctioned posts for assistant professors in 1,777 state-aided colleges under the directorate of higher education in Maharashtra, 11,087 positions were vacant as of May 2023.
The shortage stems from a freeze on recruitment during the pandemic. Although the state had approved hiring 3,580 assistant professors in 2018, only 1,492 positions were filled before recruitment was paused in May 2020. In 2021, another 2,088 assistant professor posts were approved, but hiring remained sluggish.
With NEP implementation underway in autonomous colleges since 2023-24 and extended to all affiliated colleges from 2024-25, the pressure on existing faculty has increased manifold. This is more so because new skill-based and practical subjects introduced under the NEP demand more classroom hours and specialised instruction.
The University Grants Commission (UGC) has also directed all states to ensure that at least 80% teaching positions are filled to maintain grades awarded by the National Academic Accreditation Council (NAAC).
Ramesh N Zade, president, National Forum for Quality Education, said that the NEP recommends a faculty-student ratio of 1:15 for undergraduate science practicals and 1:10 for postgraduate practicals, which universities in the state were unable to adhere to despite contrary claims on paper.
“Most public universities in the state have created batches of 15-16 students for undergraduate courses and 10 for postgraduate courses in science. But they don’t have faculty to support such small classes,” Zade said.
Recruitment efforts
In April this year, the state government submitted a fresh proposal to Radhakrishnan, the governor and chancellor, to recruit 4,435 assistant professors – nearly 40% of the 11,087 vacant positions. A separate proposal was submitted for hiring nearly 3,000 non-teaching staff to manage the administrative workload brought on by NEP-related activities such as admissions, examinations, and data reporting.
During his meeting with the higher education minister and officials from the department last week, Radhakrishnan asked for all appointments to be based strictly on merit.
Officials who were privy to the meeting said that the current recruitment policy gives 80% weightage to a candidate’s qualifications, publications, experience, and teaching ability, and 20% weightage to their interview. During the meeting, some universities raised concerns about the formula, saying it unfairly favoured PhD holders while undervaluing those with national/ state eligibility test (NET/SET) qualifications.
“The governor is considering a revised 75-25 formula to resolve the issue and will convene a meeting of all state university vice-chancellors soon,” an official told HT.
Vice-chancellors will also be asked to determine a marking system for recruitment that balances academic merit with university rankings and ensures fairness in awarding marks for higher degrees, officials mentioned.
Professor Kushal Mude, national convenor of the All India NET and SET Teachers Organisation, said a special recruitment drive was needed to address the situation.
“As per ministry of education and UGC guidelines, 100% teaching posts in all higher education institutions implementing the NEP must be filled. There are nearly 15,000 vacant positions across government colleges, universities, and aided institutions in the state. A special 100-day recruitment drive must be undertaken in mission mode to bridge the gap,” Mude said.