Academicians across India are raising serious concerns over the alarming faculty shortages in premier higher education institutions, including Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs), National Institutes of Technology (NIT)s, and Indian Institutes of Management (IIMs).
The problem is not new.
AIIMS, one of the country's top medical institutions, has also been facing a critical shortage of professors. Despite sanctioned positions and defined hiring processes, vacancies continue to persist, leaving many wondering what is causing the delay in recruitment.
Public policy commentator and author Shailaja Chandra questioned the opacity surrounding faculty hiring in these institutions.
“When there are sanctioned posts and clear processes for filling faculty positions, one wonders what is holding up the process. Since taxpayers pay to maintain these institutions, the reasons must be shared. It would be reassuring to know by when normalcy can be expected to return to these iconic institutions — the best we have,” she stated.
According to a recent parliamentary panel report, a staggering 56.18 per cent of professor positions remain unfilled in central higher education institutions, including IITs, NITs, IISERs, and IIMs. Additionally, 38.28 per cent of associate professor posts and 17.97% of assistant professor positions are vacant.
Experts warn that this chronic understaffing is undermining India’s aspirations to become a global leader in technology, artificial intelligence (AI), and business innovation.
Professor Ravikant K, who goes by the name ‘Buffalo Intellectual’ on X, also criticised the institutional inertia, questioning whether caste biases in academia were contributing to the crisis.
“IITs, NITs, IISERs, IIMs have massive hiring backlogs! What is all this talk of competing with China on tech, AI, and business when our premium institutions are massively understaffed? Where will skilled talent come from?” he asked.
Netizens warn that the persistent vacancies across multiple academic levels are crippling the quality of education and research, urging the government to take immediate action.
He also highlighted concerns about the shortage of reserved category faculty members, arguing that the reluctance to recruit qualified professors from Scheduled Caste (SC), Scheduled Tribe (ST) or Other Backward Classes (OBC), is exacerbating the faculty shortage.
The parliamentary panel has urged the Ministry of Education to expedite hiring through a transparent, merit-based process and ensure that recruitment drives adhere to equal opportunity principles. The committee has also stressed the need to move away from short-term contractual hiring, which undermines academic stability and job security.