Govts Not Investing Enough in Higher Education: AICTE

• AICTE chief cites poor funding as cause of faculty shortages.
• Maharashtra universities suffer major teacher vacancies in key fields.
• Sitharam calls for faster hiring and more universities.

The chairman of the All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE), T G Sitharam, stated on Thursday that governments are not allocating sufficient funds for higher education.

In response to an inquiry concerning the large number of vacant professor positions in Maharashtra during a conversation with reporters, Sitharam said, “They are not putting money at all in education. That’s a major problem. Six percent GDP spending on research and development, we are still (just) talking about it. (Currently) We are at 0.6 percent.”

State universities in Maharashtra have been struggling with faculty shortages for numerous years. In September, the Indian Express highlighted that 62 percent of government-approved positions at the Savitribai Phule Pune University were unfilled, with more than 75 percent of roles vacant in key departments such as Biotechnology, History, English, and Sociology.

The AICTE chairman mentioned that the AICTE and the Union Education Ministry had implemented measures to resolve this problem, “I had a meeting with the Secretary of Higher Education. I asked him to call all Principal Secretaries of Higher Education and appeal to them to fill these vacancies. Even our (Union) Education Minister himself has taken up the task of filling (vacancies) in IITs, along with the roster. The roster has also come in now. All this takes time.”

Sitharam also noted that national economies were directly linked to their higher education systems, “All of us have to put in (effort) the area of education. We becoming the fourth or third largest economy is directly linked to higher education. The countries that are doing very well in technology or other areas like Israel, South Korea – 95 per cent GER (gross enrollment ratio) in higher education. Japan 65 per cent, America 75 per cent. Where are we? We are at 29 per cent,” he added.

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Sitharam emphasized the growing student population and the increasing number of private universities, highlighting the country's need for additional universities. “We need 1000 universities. Students are coming and we have a dual task: first is raising the quality and another is accommodating these students. Universities cannot be built in 10 years. I have built my IIT in Guwahati as a director. 25 years are required in the government sector for a full-blown university with a reasonable number of students, good quality of research, and innovation to happen. In private, they have money and flexibility, so 10 to 15 years. They also have to stick. The problem is we don’t have 10 years, we will have 5 crore students. I am very happy with what the government is doing. They are making a win-win situation.…Private universities control education, whether we like it or not,” he said.

Sitharam was the guest of honor at the first convocation ceremony of DES Pune University on Wednesday, during which 183 students graduated. AICTE serves as the national regulatory body responsible for the planning, creation, and upkeep of norms and standards, accreditation, strategic planning, and integrated development of a technical education framework.