Limited number of qualified candidates in niche subjects leading to vacant positions in central universities – Times of India
The 43 Indian central universities have as many as 6,549 vacant faculty positions. This was stated by the Ministry of Education (MoE) in a written response in the Lok Sabha to a question by MP Rajiv Pratap Rudy. In another written response to Rajya Sabha to a question by MP AA Rahim, MoE has said that 3,669 reserved category teaching positions are vacant across central varsities.
While the recruitment process in most universities is ongoing, limited applicants for a few niche subjects is affecting the process.
Various issues
At University of Delhi (DU), which has the maximum number of vacant faculty positions as per the MoE response, faculty hiring is being done at various levels. Yogesh Singh, vice-chancellor, DU, says, “Faculty hiring is a time consuming and lengthy process. Although there is a mandate to fill all vacant positions soon, we cannot compromise on the quality of the candidates.”
Also, while the central government has amended UGC norms that mandated PhD the minimum eligibility criteria for assistant professors, there are few applicants who are currently pursuing PhD, adds Singh. “These applicants also miss the mark when their candidature is weighed against those who have already completed their PhD in terms of experience,” he says.
BJ Rao, vice-chancellor, University of Hyderabad (UoH), says that in the two rounds of hiring held over the past one year, there was not a single applicant who is currently pursuing his/her PhD. “There seems to be lack of awareness regarding the modification to the UGC hiring norms. Thus, it has not made much difference to the available talent pool,” he says.
Rao adds that many vacant faculty positions are in niche subject areas, which get minimum to no applicants. “UGC norms specify that hiring must be done for experts in specific subjects. While experts in the core subjects are available, sometimes there are minimal to zero applicants for niche areas. We faced this issue in our second round of hiring, which was specifically held for reserved category vacancies.”
Legal petitions filed by candidates also lead to a delay in hiring the candidates. “In some cases, candidates raise legal objections when there is negligence in following UGC hiring norms. Universities need to advertise the vacancies. UoH has already sent an application to get our related positions unlocked,” says Rao.
Current status
Vikas Gupta, registrar, DU, says, “Faculty hiring is done for the positions of assistant professors, associate professors and professors. While the University departments are hiring for faculty separately, colleges under the ambit of DU are conducting their hiring processes independently.” Over the last few months, around 40% of the 52 available assistant professor posts across University departments such as Zoology, Botany, Electronics, and Biophysics have been filled, he says.
“Efforts are on to fill the remaining positions. Also, the screening process of applications is ongoing for the posts of associate professors,” adds Gupta.
Rao says, “UoH released an advertisement on October 25, 2021 for 52 backlog reserved vacancies and out of these, 15 positions were filled. Overall, 157 faculty positions, including professor (45), associate professor (61) and assistant professor (51) are still vacant. Of these, 37 are backlog reserved positions.”
While the recruitment process in most universities is ongoing, limited applicants for a few niche subjects is affecting the process.
Various issues
At University of Delhi (DU), which has the maximum number of vacant faculty positions as per the MoE response, faculty hiring is being done at various levels. Yogesh Singh, vice-chancellor, DU, says, “Faculty hiring is a time consuming and lengthy process. Although there is a mandate to fill all vacant positions soon, we cannot compromise on the quality of the candidates.”
Also, while the central government has amended UGC norms that mandated PhD the minimum eligibility criteria for assistant professors, there are few applicants who are currently pursuing PhD, adds Singh. “These applicants also miss the mark when their candidature is weighed against those who have already completed their PhD in terms of experience,” he says.
BJ Rao, vice-chancellor, University of Hyderabad (UoH), says that in the two rounds of hiring held over the past one year, there was not a single applicant who is currently pursuing his/her PhD. “There seems to be lack of awareness regarding the modification to the UGC hiring norms. Thus, it has not made much difference to the available talent pool,” he says.
Rao adds that many vacant faculty positions are in niche subject areas, which get minimum to no applicants. “UGC norms specify that hiring must be done for experts in specific subjects. While experts in the core subjects are available, sometimes there are minimal to zero applicants for niche areas. We faced this issue in our second round of hiring, which was specifically held for reserved category vacancies.”
Legal petitions filed by candidates also lead to a delay in hiring the candidates. “In some cases, candidates raise legal objections when there is negligence in following UGC hiring norms. Universities need to advertise the vacancies. UoH has already sent an application to get our related positions unlocked,” says Rao.
Current status
Vikas Gupta, registrar, DU, says, “Faculty hiring is done for the positions of assistant professors, associate professors and professors. While the University departments are hiring for faculty separately, colleges under the ambit of DU are conducting their hiring processes independently.” Over the last few months, around 40% of the 52 available assistant professor posts across University departments such as Zoology, Botany, Electronics, and Biophysics have been filled, he says.
“Efforts are on to fill the remaining positions. Also, the screening process of applications is ongoing for the posts of associate professors,” adds Gupta.
Rao says, “UoH released an advertisement on October 25, 2021 for 52 backlog reserved vacancies and out of these, 15 positions were filled. Overall, 157 faculty positions, including professor (45), associate professor (61) and assistant professor (51) are still vacant. Of these, 37 are backlog reserved positions.”
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