Lok Sabha Question No. 1505 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2018-03-05
Subject: Vacancy in Central Universities
Ministry: HUMAN RESOURCE DEVELOPMENT
Asked by: K. C. VENUGOPAL

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF HUMAN RESOURCE DEVELOPMENT DEPARTMENT OF HIGHER EDUCATION

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION No. 1505 TO BE ANSWERED ON 05.03.2018

## Vacancy in Central Universities

## 1505.  SHRI K.C. VENUGOPAL;

Will the Minister of HUMAN RESOURCE DEVELOPMENT be pleased to state:

- (a) whether number of teaching and non-teaching posts are vacant in various Central Universities in the country;
- (b) the details of vacant teaching and non-teaching posts in various Central Universities in the country including Kerala;
- (c) whether the Government is planning to fill these vacancies in a time bound manner and if so, the details thereof;
- (d) whether any actions has been taken by the Government to ensure quality research oriented teaching and learning in Central and State Universities; and
- (e) if so, the details thereof?

## ANSWER

## MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF HUMAN RESOURCE DEVELOPMENT (Dr. SATYA PAL SINGH)

(a) to (c): Out of the total sanctioned teaching posts of 17047 (2417 Professor, 4793 Associate Professor, 9837 Assistant Professor),  in 40 Central Universities in the country including Kerala under the purview of this Ministry,   5651 teaching posts are lying vacant (1262 Professor, 2171 Associate Professor, 2218 Assistant Professor).  There is sanctioned non-teaching posts of 35166 in these Central Universities and out of these, 11059 posts are lying vacant.

Occurring  and  filling  up  the  vacancies  is  an  ongoing  and  continuous  process.  Vacancies  at various  levels  occur  in  different  manner  due  to  retirements,  resignations,  deaths,  deputations, expansion and opening of new institutions. The onus to fill up the vacant teaching posts lies with the  Universities  which  are  statutory  autonomous  bodies.  However,  the  Ministry  of  Human Resource Development and UGC have taken various steps in this regard which include:

- (i) In  order  to  meet  the  situation  arising  out  of  shortage  of  teachers  in  universities  and  other teaching institutions and the consequent vacant positions therein, the age of superannuation for teachers in Central Educational Institutions has already been enhanced to 65 years w.e.f. 23.3.2007.
- (ii) Besides,  subject  to  availability  of  vacant  positions  and  fitness,  teachers  can  also  be  reemployed on contract appointment beyond the age of 65 years and upto the age of 70 years.
- (iii) 5 Visitor's nominees have been provided to all CUs for Selection Committees of teachers in order to expedite the recruitment process.
- (iv) UGC also framed the guidelines  for  empanelment  of  Adjunct-Faculty  in  Universities  and Colleges.  These  guidelines  enable  higher  educational  institutions  to  access  the  eminent teachers  and  researchers  who  have  completed  their  formal  association  with  University  / College,  to  participate  in  teaching,  to  collaborate  and  to  stimulate  research  activities  for qualify research at M.Phil  and Ph. D. levels, and to play mentoring and inspirational role.
- (v) Further,  UGC  initiated  a  scheme  called  Operation  Faculty  Recharge  for  augmenting  the research and teaching resources of universities to tackle the shortage of faculty in university system.
- (vi) In UGC (Minimum Qualifications for Appointment of Teachers and other Academic Staff in Universities  and  Colleges  and  Measures  for  the  Maintenance  of  Standards  in  Higher Education) Regulations, 2010, it is clearly mentioned that all the sanctioned / approved posts in the university system shall be filled up on an urgent basis.

In  order  to  ensure  that  studies  of  students  are  not  affected,  Central  Universities  are  adopting different  methods/process  to  address  faculty  shortages  which  inter-alia,  include  hiring  ad-hoc faculty, Guest Faculty, Contract Faculty and Re-employed faculty.

- (d)  &  (e): Improvement in the quality, research and innovation in  educational institutions is a continuous process. For improving the quality of research, University Grants Commission (UGC) has  laid  out  a  number  of  schemes,  award,  fellowships,  chairs  and  programmes  under  which financial  assistance  is  provided  to  institutions  of  higher  education  as  well  as  faculty  members working therein to undertake quality research in almost all areas of knowledge across disciplines. These schemes include (i) Special Assistance Programme (SAP); (ii) Basic Scientific Research (BSR);  (iii)  Universities  &  Colleges  with  Potential  for  Excellence  (UPE/CPE);  (iv)  Digital repository  of  research  and  teaching  material;    (v)  Minor  and  Major  Research  Projects  (MRP); (vi)  Research  Fellowships;  (vii)  Scholarships  and  fellowships  in  engineering  and  technology; (viii) Research awards; and (ix) Emeritus fellowship

For  promoting  research  in  the  fields  of  science  and  technology,  Department  of  Science  and Technology  implements  several  schemes.  This  Ministry  is  implementing  two  initiatives: Impacting  Research  Innovation  and  Technology  (IMPRINT)  and  Uchhatar  Avishkar  Yojana (UAY) for promoting socially relevant research.

For  providing  quality  education,  UGC  has  introduced  semester  system,  regular  updating  of curricula  and  Choice  Based  Credit  Systems  (CBCS).  It  has  issued  the  UGC  (Minimum Qualifications  for  Appointment  of  Teachers  and  other  Academic  Staff  in  Universities  and Colleges and Measures for the Maintenance of Standards in Higher Education) Regulations, 2010 for improving the standard of teaching in Indian Universities. It has also issued the (Mandatory Assessment and Accreditation of Higher Educational Institutions) Regulations, 2012 whereby all eligible higher educational institutions are required to get themselves accredited. The UGC has also issued the (Promotion and Maintenance of Standards of Academic Collaboration between Indian and Foreign Educational Institutions) Regulations, 2012 which provide a framework for academic collaboration between Indian and foreign higher educational institutions.

The UGC regulations are applicable to State Universities too.

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