Ask any who’s who of the country about their educational background. A majority of them would mention one of these names; IIT, IIM, IISC, NIT etc. The prestigious institutes of higher education in the country are facing a severe crunch of Faculty. The institutes of higher learning under the Ministry of Human Resource Development (HRD) face a faculty shortage to an extent of 35% according to the latest data available with the government.
[orc](Data as available with Ministry of HRD as on 25th November, 2014. Data includes Visiting, Adjunct & Contract Faculty also)
Bleak Scenario
| Type | Name | Faculty Strength (Sanctioned) | Faculty Strength (Current) | Vacant | Vacancy % |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| IITs | Indian Institute of Technology | 6653 | 4079 | 2574 | 39% |
| IIITs | Indian Institute of Information Technology | 253 | 162 | 91 | 36% |
| IIMs | Indian Institute of Management | 766 | 577 | 189 | 25% |
| IISERs | Indian Institute of Science Education and Research | 861 | 746 | 115 | 13% |
| SPAs | School of Planning and Architecture | 672 | 618 | 54 | 8% |
| NITs | National Institute of Technology | 6056 | 4292 | 1764 | 29% |
| CUs | Central Universities | 16328 | 10058 | 6270 | 38% |
| Total | 31589 | 20532 | 11057 | 35% |
IITs top the list with 39% vacancies and Central Universities follow with 38% vacancies. One would assume that a large number of new institutions were setup in the last few years and that their faculty numbers might be contributing to this overall number. But this assumption is not supported by numbers. The new IITs face only a 22% shortage while the old IITs face a much greater 41% faculty crunch. Some of the oldest institutions like IIT Roorke, IIT BHU have more than half their faculty positions vacant. IIT Bhubaneshwar has a shortage of only 4%.
Out of IIMs, IIM Indore is facing a 52% shortage while IIM Ranchi is facing a 48% shortage. IIM Udaipur & IIM Raipur are the only two IIMs with no shortage of faculty. The older IIMs at Ahmedabad, Calcutta & Bangalore are also facing a severe shortage of faculty. IIM Ahmedabad is the worst hit with a 29% shortage.
Out of the NITs, 5 of them are facing a shortage of over 40%. NIT Delhi tops the list with 50% shortage of faculty. The NITs in Raipur, Uttarakhand & Meghalaya are each facing only an 8% shortage of faculty. In terms of the overall numbers, NITs seem to be better placed than the IITs with only a 29% shortage of faculty.
Out of all the institutes, the School of Planning & Architecture (SPAs) seem to be better placed in terms of faculty. They only have a shortage of 8%.
Even in the Central Universities, it is the old universities that are worst hit. Delhi University has a shortage of more than 50% closely followed by University of Allahabad.
Student/Faculty Ratio
| Type | Name | Total No | Student Strength | Faculty Strength (Current) | Student/Faculty Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| IITs | Indian Institute of Technology | 16 | 66002 | 4079 | 16:1 |
| IIITs | Indian Institute of Information Technology | 4 | 4776 | 162 | 29:1 |
| IIMs | Indian Institute of Management | 13 | 3489 | 577 | 6:1 |
| IISERs | Indian Institute of Science Education and Research | 6 | 6997 | 746 | 9:1 |
| SPAs | School of Planning and Architecture | 4 | 7162 | 618 | 12:1 |
| NITs | National Institute of Technology | 30 | 74810 | 4292 | 17:1 |
In terms of Student/Faculty ratio, it is the IIMs that are doing best with one faculty for every 6 students. In the case of IITs, it is one faculty for every 16 students. IIITs have the worst ratio with one faculty for every 29 students. In NITs, there is one faculty for every 17 students.
Unless the government does something on a war footing, the situation is unlikely to change. It should incentivize bright minds to come back to education. It is a welcome sign that people like Manjul Bhargava are being involved in getting more scholars to teach in India.
Data Sources:
- Unstarred Question Number 296, Ministry of Human Resource Development, Answered on 25-02-2015 in the Lok Sabha.
7 Comments
A couple of questions for the author/admin?
1. Why is there such a shortfall in faculty positions? Is it because there is a dearth of qualified teachers? A sometimes feel that colleges intentionally hire ad-hoc teachers to save up on salary payments.
2. Has the HRD ministry come out with any plan to tackle this situation?
Would love your thoughts on these.
The numbers here include adhoc and contract teachers as well. I mean the vacancy numbers are after taking into consideration both adhoc and contract as well. The vacancies could be for multiple reasons like lack of qualified teachers, teachers from established institutions moving to new institutions, establishment of new institutes, rise in student intake in the last few years etc. The government has to incentivize people to consider this as a good career option.
Lack of qualified teachers? Are you kidding…there are 100’s and of them available if a proper way of selection organized. And one among many reasons is the lack of availability of reserved candidates. Also the local and central government show no interest in filling all these vacancies with unreserved categories as they always wait for the right candidate from the reserved category to show up. Other reasons are “politics” and “non-reporting of vacant posts” within the institutes or universities. The whole system is really F**Ked up!
Sir
Pvt schools,colleges,engineering colleges and Medical colleges have been a source of business for the employers.
Good and highly qualified facility members have been victimized by the employers.Students are also exploited by employers.
That is the reason quality of Education is declining.
Good teachers are harassed by the employers.
Regards
Dr.R K Mohanty
Politicians and some business persons spoiled the Education system in India.
Dear Politicians
Give special cavity for edEducation and job for single girl children.
Dr R K Mohanty
Dear Prime Minister
Pass bill to give special facility in Education and job for single girl child .