Nagpur: A shocking revelation has emerged under the Right to Information (RTI) Act indicating that nearly 47% of teaching posts across 12 non-agricultural state universities and 3 deemed universities in Maharashtra remain vacant. Of the 2,534 sanctioned teaching posts in these institutions, only 1,368 have been filled, leaving a staggering 1,166 posts unoccupied.
Alarmingly, Rashtrasant Tukadoji Maharaj Nagpur University (RTMNU) is among the worst affected. Of the 339 sanctioned full-time faculty positions, 160 are lying vacant. While approval has been granted to fill 92 of these posts, the recruitment process remains sluggish, raising serious concerns about the quality of higher education in the region.
Gold Rate
29 July 2025
Government restriction on recruitment
Despite the large number of vacancies, a Government Resolution (GR) issued on August 7, 2019, restricts universities from filling more than 80% of their sanctioned full-time posts, effectively capping the recruitment to just 659 positions across the state. This policy, intended as a cost-cutting measure, is now being criticized for eroding the academic standards of public universities.
RTI activist seeks answers
The data was obtained by Nagpur-based social activist Abhay Kolarkar, who filed an RTI query with the Higher and Technical Education Department to expose the crisis in teacher recruitment across state universities and affiliated colleges. Kolarkar has alleged that the department deliberately avoided sharing complete information in the prescribed format, violating the spirit of the RTI Act. He has now filed an appeal demanding intervention from the appellate authority to direct the department to provide the information in full.
Kolarkar had specifically sought answers to crucial questions such as:
• Total number of sanctioned full-time teaching posts in universities and affiliated colleges
• Number of posts currently filled
• Number of teachers appointed on clock-hour basis (CHB)
• Norms governing CHB appointments
• UGC’s guidelines on remuneration and actual salaries paid to CHB faculty
• Reasons for not filling full-time posts
• Whether full-time appointments are necessary for ensuring quality education
• Why the government continues to appoint CHB teachers instead of recruiting permanent faculty
Despite the relevance of these questions to the current academic crisis, the Higher and Technical Education Department has remained evasive.
RTMNU’s decline amid statewide crisis
The situation at RTM Nagpur University is particularly disconcerting, as it has historically been a key centre of learning in the Vidarbha region. The university’s inability to fill nearly half of its teaching posts raises alarm about declining academic standards, overburdened faculty, and compromised student learning.
The rising reliance on temporary, underpaid teachers and failure to fill permanent posts is not just a bureaucratic issue—it is a direct threat to the future of higher education in Maharashtra. If the government continues to delay urgent reforms and recruitments, institutions like RTMNU may soon face a full-blown academic collapse.
