The General Secretary of the All India Congress Committee, a member of the National Congress Working Committee, and former Union Minister, Kumari Selja, has asserted that the Bharatiya Janata Party-led central government is actively undermining the higher education system in the country. According to Selja, there is a conspicuous lack of attention to renowned higher education institutions during the transition to the new education policy. Consequently, thousands of faculty positions in central universities, IITs, and IIMs remain vacant, with even non-teaching staff vacancies not being disclosed.
In a media statement, Kumari Selja highlighted that the shortage of teachers in higher education institutions has alarmed the Ministry of Education, revealing the emptiness behind the government’s slogan, ‘India will progress if it educates.’ Over 11,000 positions for professors, associate professors, and assistant professors are unfilled out of a total of 18,956 approved positions in 45 central universities.
Even prestigious institutions like IITs and IIMs have a significant number of vacancies, with 4,502 out of 11,170 approved positions in IITs vacant and 493 out of 1,566 teaching positions in top management-related educational institutions unoccupied.
Kumari Selja emphasized that a substantial number of vacant positions in central universities are reserved for various categories, including 961 for SC, 578 for ST, and 1,657 for OBC categories. Additionally, 643 positions for EWS and 301 for PWD categories are also vacant. The shortage of teachers in central universities has persisted for eight years, with no update on the number of vacant positions in the non-teaching category. The government’s silence on this matter indicates a lack of concern for providing quality higher education and employment to the educated class.
In light of these issues, public opinion has turned against the BJP government, and in future elections, the public is expected to express their dissatisfaction through their votes.