New Delhi: There are large vacancies in teaching positions in universities and colleges. Institutes appoint Temporary staff, Ad-hoc staff, visiting faculty, and fixed term faculty staff to fill the gap.
More than 6% of teaching staff in universities and colleges in India are appointed as temporary staff. As per All India Survey on Higher Education (AISHE) report 2018-19, the total number of teachers in Higher Educational Institutions is 14, 16, 299 out of which 90, 418 are Temporary and Visiting teachers.
Out of 90,000 temporary teaching staff, nearly 13,000 are employed as visiting staff.
Details of Teaching Staff:
Professor & Equivalent – 128, 949
Reader & Associate Professor – 152, 557
Lecturer/Assistant Professor – 971, 201
Demonstrator/Tutor – 73, 174
Temporary Teacher – 77, 510
Visiting Teacher – 12, 908
Grand Total: 14,16,299
This above information was given by the Union HRD Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal ‘Nishank’ recently in Lok Sabha.
The minister also informed that the University Grants Commission (UGC) has framed UGC Regulations on Minimum Qualifications for Appointment of Teachers and Other Academic Staff in Universities and Colleges and Measures for the maintenance of standards in Higher Education, 2018 wherein the clause 13 provides that the fixed emoluments paid to contract teachers should not be less than the monthly gross salary of a regularly appointed Assistant Professor.
Since total absence of faculty create larger problem on quality, teacher on temporary basis fill in the gap in imparting lectures till a regular teacher is engaged. Vide its letter dated 4th June, 2019, UGC has asked all Universities to fill its faculty vacancies.