According to data from the Higher Education Department, over 35 percent of the sanctioned positions for assistant/associate professors and lecturers in government colleges in Rajasthan remain unfilled, raising concerns about the impact on the quality of education. As of February 1, out of the 6,949 sanctioned posts for associate/assistant professors and lecturers, 2,579 positions are vacant, constituting 37 percent of the total. Similarly, of the 252 sanctioned principal positions, 153 are currently vacant, exceeding 50 percent.
Teacher association representatives argue that the shortage of staff is adversely affecting the quality of education, attributing the problem to the opening of new colleges without corresponding faculty appointments. Ramesh Bairwa, joint secretary of the Rajasthan University and College Teachers’ Association (RUCTA), notes that the practice of sending individuals on deputation to new colleges is a temporary solution that negatively impacts education quality.
In the last two years, the government has opened 88 new colleges in the state. Narayan Lal Gupta, general secretary of RUCTA (Rashtriya), expresses concerns about colleges functioning without adequate staff, emphasizing the need for qualified teachers. He highlights the demoralizing effect on teaching staff, who are sometimes forced to perform non-teaching duties due to staff shortages.
To address the issue, the government has initiated the Vidya Sambal Scheme, allowing guest faculty to teach on a contractual basis in colleges with vacant teaching positions. College Education Department Commissioner Sandesh Nayak acknowledges the vacant posts and mentions that recruitment for 918 teaching positions is expected soon. However, the Vidya Sambal Scheme faces opposition from the Rajasthan Berozgar Ekikrut Mahasangh, which criticizes it as cheating the educated unemployed youth and calls for regular recruitments to provide jobs for the unemployed.