Parliament Question: Dependence on Guest Faculty against Vacant Teaching Posts in Universities

GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF EDUCATION DEPARTMENT OF HIGHER EDUCATION LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO-3630 ANSWERED ON- 10/08/2026 Dependence on Guest Faculty against Vacant Teaching Posts in Universities 3630. Shri Vishnu Datt Sharma: Will the Minister of EDUCATION be pleased to state: (a) whether the Government has assessed the increasing dependence of Central and State Universities on Guest Faculty against long-standing vacant teaching posts, resulting in insecure employment, disparities in honorarium and lack of uniform service conditions, if so, the details thereof; (b) whether the Government is aware that prolonged reliance on such engagements has caused financial insecurity, uncertainty regarding recognition of teaching experience and has adversely affected academic continuity and faculty retention, if so, the details thereof; (c) whether the Government proposes, in consultation with University Grants Commission (UGC), to formulate a uniform national framework prescribing minimum service conditions, equitable honorarium, transparent engagement norms and time- bound filling of regular vacancies; and (d) if so, the details thereof and the proposed timeline for implementation? ANSWER MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF EDUCATION (DR. SUKANTA MAJUMDAR) (a) to (d): Education is a subject under the Concurrent List of the Constitution of India, wherein both the Central and State Governments are empowered to make laws. State Public Universities are established under Acts of the respective State Legislatures, and their administrative and service-related matters, including appointments of teaching faculty are governed by the provisions of the concerned State Acts, Statutes, Rules and Regulations. Recruitment and filling up of facultypositions in State Public Universities fall within the domain and responsibility of the respective State Governments. All Central Higher Education Institutions (CHEIs) including Central Universities (CUs) adopt different methods/processes which inter-alia, include hiring ad-hoc Faculty, Guest Faculty, Contract Faculty, and re-employed teacher so as to ensure that the teaching-learning process is carried out in an effective manner. UGC has issued guidelines on 28.01.2019 for the appointment and honorarium of Guest Faculty in the Universities. It regularly issues instructions to the Universities to prepare a time-bound action plan and fill up their vacant posts at the earliest. It has also launched a common portal 'CU-CHAYAN' for faculty recruitment, making provision for listing of vacancies/ advertisements/jobs across all CUs, thus making the entire recruitment process more efficient, transparent and accessible. Ministry of Education had exhorted all the CHEIs including CUs to fill up all the backlog vacancies in Mission Mode. From September 2022 & up to 23.05.2026, a total number of 32114 posts have been filled up by all CHEIs, including faculty positions, in Mission Mode. Further, this Ministry has also written a letter on 28.10.2025 to Education Secretaries of all State Governments to initiate recruitment process for the appointment of the optimum number of teachers for the allocated courses. ****