Lok Sabha Question No. 423 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2026-02-02
Subject: Expanding Quality Higher Education through States and State Public Universities
Ministry: EDUCATION
Asked by: Shri Sukhdeo Bhagat

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF EDUCATION DEPARTMENT OF HIGHER EDUCATION

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO- 423

ANSWERED ON- 02/02/2026

## Expanding Quality Higher Education through States and State Public Universities

## 423. Shri Sukhdeo Bhagat:

Will the Minister of EDUCATION be pleased to state:

- (a) whether it is a fact that over fifty-six per cent of full-professor positions at State Public Universities  across  the  country  are  vacant,  as  per  the  NITI Aayog  report  'Expanding Quality Higher Education through States and State Public Universities' in February, 2025; and
- (b)  if  so,  the  timeline  fixed  and  action  plan  formulated  by  the  Government  to  fill  these vacancies and thereby improve teaching quality and research output in the country?

## ANSWER

## MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF EDUCATION (DR. SUKANTA MAJUMDAR)

- (a) & (b): Education is a subject under the Concurrent List of the Constitution of India, wherein both the Central and State Governments are empowered  to make laws. State Public Universities are established under Acts of the respective State Legislatures, and their administrative and service-related matters, including appointments of teaching faculty are  governed  by  the  provisions  of  the  concerned  State  Acts,  Statutes,  Rules  and Regulations. Recruitment and filling up of faculty positions in State Public Universities fall within the domain and responsibility of the respective State Governments.

UGC has issued an advisory dated 20.02.2025 to all Additional Chief Secretaries/Principal Secretaries/Secretaries (Education)/Secretaries to the Governor/State Higher Education Councils  of  all  States  and  Union  Territories  of  India,  requesting  for  their  personal intervention to ensure timely filling up of vacant faculty positions in the State Universities and their affiliated colleges under their jurisdiction. Further, this Ministry has also written a letter  on  28.10.2025  to  Education  Secretaries  of  all  State  Governments  to  initiate recruitment  process  for  the  appointment  of  the  optimum  number  of  teachers  for  the allocated courses.

The Central Higher Education Institutions (CHEIs) under Ministry of Education including Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs), Indian Institutes of Information Technology (IIITs), National Institute of Technology (NITs), Indian Institute of Science (IISc), Indian Institute of Science Education and Research (IISERs), Indian Institute of Management (IIMs), Indian

Institute  of  Engineering  Science  and  Technology  (IIEST),  School  of  Planning  and Architecture (SPAs), Central Universities (CUs) etc. are statutory autonomous organizations established under respective Central Acts of Parliament and governed by provisions of the Acts/ Statutes/ Ordinances/ Regulations made  thereunder.  As autonomous  institutions,  faculty  recruitment  is  done  within  the  institutions  itself,  in accordance with their Acts and Regulations and in accordance with Central Educational Institutions  (Reservation  in Teachers  Cadre) Act,  2019  and  the  Rights  of  Persons  with Disabilities Act, 2016. The recruitment powers vest with the respective Board of Governors (BoGs)/Executive Committee/Board of Management and no active role of the Ministry is involved therein.

Occurring of vacancies and filling thereof is a continuous process. The vacancies arise due to promotion, retirement, resignation, death, opening of new institutions, schemes or projects,  and  additional  requirements  on  account  of  enhanced  students'  strength  and expansion of capacity in existing institutions.

Ministry of Education had exhorted all the CHEIs to fill up the vacancies in Mission Mode. The CHEIs undertook special recruitment drives to fill the vacancies including of Scheduled Castes  (SCs),  Scheduled  Tribes  (STs)  and  Other  Backward  Classes  (OBCs).  From September 2022, all CHEIs have undertaken Mission Mode recruitment drive to fill the vacancies including those of SC, ST, OBC and PwD. Up to 24.10.2025 (i.e. the date of last Rozgar Mela), a total number of 29,979 posts have been filled up by all CHEIs in Mission Mode, out of which 17,494 are faculty positions.

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