Parliament Question: Professor of Practice

GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF EDUCATION DEPARTMENT OF HIGHER EDUCATION RAJYA SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO- 1320 ANSWERED ON- 11/02/2026 Professor of Practice 1320. Dr. V. Sivadasan: Will the Minister of EDUCATION be pleased to state: (a) the total number of Professors of Practice appointed in Central Universities, Centrally funded educational institutions in the country during last five years, year-wise and institution-wise; (b) the total number of Professors of Practice appointed in private Universities and State Universities, details thereof, year-wise; (c) whether any reservation or affirmative action criteria (including SC, ST, OBC, EWS, PwDs, etc.) are applicable in such appointments and the details thereof; and (d) the number of persons appointed, including women, men and persons of other gender identities, as Professors of Practice during the said period, year-wise, gender- wise? ANSWER MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF EDUCATION (DR. SUKANTA MAJUMDAR) (a) to (d): The National Education Policy 2020 seeks to transform higher education by focusing on skill-based education to meet the needs of the industry and the economy. Further, the NEP also recommends integrating vocational education with general education and strengthening industry- academia collaboration in Higher Education Institutes (HEIs). Towards this end, the University Grants Commission (UGC) has taken the initiative to bring the industry and other professional expertise into the academic institutions through "Professor of Practice". UGC has framed Guidelines for engaging Professor of Practice in Universities and Colleges on 30.09.2022. The post of Professor of Practice is a temporary post, exclusive of sanctioned post. Further, candidates who have proven expertise in their specific profession or role with at least 15 years of service /experience, preferably at a senior level, are eligible for Professor of Practice. For engaging industry experts and professionals, HEls may collaborate with the industries to support these positions. It also provides an opportunity, to those in leadership positions in different fields, to come on honorary basis as Professor of Practice so as to give back to the society and contribute towards nation building.In order to bring in distinguished experts from various fields of engineering, science, technology, entrepreneurship etc. and to develop courses and curriculum to meet the industry and societal needs and to enable the HEls to work with industry experts on joint research project, concept of Professor of Practice has been adopted, and thereby provide exposure and mentorship to students by domain experts. The maximum duration of service of Professor of Practice at a given institution should not exceed three years and is extendable by one year in exceptional cases and the total service should not exceed four years under any circumstances. As per the details shared/ reported by the Higher Educational Institutions (HEIs) on the UTSAH (Undertaking Transformative Strategies and Actions in Higher Education) Portal, as on 05.01.2026, the total number of Professors of Practice appointed was 1841 from 349 HEIs (Universities and colleges). The details may be seen in the enclosed Annexure. *****Annexure ANNEXURE REFERRED TO IN REPLY TO PARTS (a) TO (d) OF RAJYA SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 1320 ANSWERED ON 11.02.2026 ASKED BY HON’BLE MEMBER OF PARLIAMENT DR. V. SIVADASAN REGARDING “PROFESSOR OF PRACTICE”. Status of appointment of Professors of Practice (PoPs), Institutions Category wise, as on 05.01.2026 Number of HEIs Number of Professor of Type of HEIs Practice in place Central University 11 15 Deemed to be University 63 699 Private University 181 715 State University 57 212 Total 312 1641 College 37 200 Grand Total 349 1841 State wise status of appointment of PoPs as on 05.01.2026 Number of HEIs Number of Professor of State Practice in place Andhra Pradesh 13 81 Arunachal Pradesh 1 1 Assam 9 26 Bihar 3 3 Chhattisgarh 8 11 Delhi 7 16 Gujarat 38 179 Haryana 19 80 Himachal Pradesh 9 24 Jammu and Kashmir 4 4 Jharkhand 7 14 Karnataka 26 170 Kerala 6 13 Madhya Pradesh 21 58 Maharashtra 36 193 Meghalaya 5 21 Odisha 8 132 Puducherry 1 6 Punjab 11 49 Rajasthan 16 74 Sikkim 4 25 Tamil Nadu 37 395 Telangana 8 34Tripura 3 10 Uttar Pradesh 26 157 Uttarakhand 13 33 West Bengal 10 32 Grand Total 349 1841