Maharashtra’s top public universities are facing a serious problem: more than 60% of their teaching positions are vacant. Big institutions like the University of Mumbai, Pune University, Nagpur University, Shivaji University, and Marathwada University are finding it hard to manage classes and research work due to the shortage of qualified teachers.
The main reason behind this crisis is that the number of teaching posts hasn’t been updated in years, even though student numbers have gone up, especially after the implementation of the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020. Many universities are now hiring temporary or part-time teachers, but experts say this is affecting the quality of education.
Dr. W. N. Gade, former Vice-Chancellor of Pune University, said that without enough full-time teachers, both learning and research suffer. He added that this also affects university rankings and future development. He urged the state government to fill these posts quickly under proper guidelines.
The Maharashtra government has approved hiring for about 700 teachers this year, but university officials believe this is not enough. They warn that if the issue is not solved soon, it could seriously damage the state’s higher education system and its reputation across the country.
