Over 5,000 Reserved Faculty Posts Vacant in Top Central Institutions: Govt Data

Government data reveals over 5,000 SC/ST/OBC faculty vacancies in Central Universities, IITs, IIMs, and IIITs as of July 1, 2025. Breakdown by institution and category highlights persistent representation gaps.

As of July 1, 2025, the government's data reveals a substantial gap in faculty representation across various central institutions.

• Overall Vacancies: The total number of reserved faculty vacancies stands at over 5,000 across the mentioned institutions.
• Breakdown by Institution Type (as of July 1, 2025):
  • Central Universities: Alone account for 4,889 teaching vacancies for reserved categories. This includes 711 for SC, 428 for ST, and 1,491 for OBC. Notably, 656 vacant Professor and Associate Professor posts are specifically meant for SC and ST candidates within these universities.
  • Indian Institutes of Management (IIMs): A total of 391 reserved posts remain unfilled, comprising 92 for SC, 53 for ST, and 164 for OBC faculty.
  • Indian Institutes of Information Technology (IIITs): These institutions reported 468 vacancies for reserved categories, including 141 for SC, 85 for ST, and 242 for OBC.
  • (Additional Data from Source): The data also includes AIIMS Delhi with 250 (SC), 115 (ST), and 350 (OBC) vacancies.
• Category-wise Vacancies in Central Universities (more detailed):
  • Professor Posts: More than 80% of sanctioned Professor posts for OBC and ST categories in Central Universities are vacant. Specifically, only 84 of 423 OBC Professor posts and 24 of 144 ST Professor posts are filled. For SC, 111 of 308 Professor posts are filled.
  • Associate Professors: Vacancies are also high, with approximately 65% for ST (108 of 307 filled) and 69% for OBC (275 of 883 filled). For SC, 51% (308 of 632) of Associate Professor posts are vacant.
  • Assistant Professors: Vacancies were lowest at the Assistant Professor level, but still significant: 23% for OBC (1,838 of 2,382 filled), 15% for ST (595 of 704 filled), and 14% for SC (1,180 of 1,370 filled).
• Source of Data: The information was presented by the government in the Rajya Sabha, based on data as of July 1, 2025.

Government Initiatives and Policy Context

The government has highlighted its Mission Mode recruitment drive, launched since September 2022, to fill vacancies across Central Universities, IITs, IIMs, and IIITs. As per data till July 12, 2025, out of 20,712 posts filled across these institutions under this drive, 11,930 were faculty posts. Of these, 1,458 were filled by SC candidates, 619 by STs, and 2,452 by OBCs.

The Central Educational Institutions (Reservation in Teachers Cadre) Act, 2019, mandates 15% reservation for SCs, 7.5% for STs, and 27% for OBCs, in addition to 10% for Economically Weaker Sections (EWS).

Implications:

The persistence of such a high number of vacancies raises questions about the effectiveness of recruitment drives and the challenges in achieving proper representation despite existing reservation mandates. It underscores the ongoing need for more robust and targeted measures to ensure diversity in India's top academic institutions.

Conclusion:

The government's own data paints a clear picture of the significant deficit in reserved category faculty across premier higher education institutions. Addressing these vacancies will be crucial for upholding principles of social justice and fostering inclusive academic environments in India.