The shortfall — exceeding 1,400 posts — has left several institutions operating well below their approved strength. (File)
About a dozen universities in Jammu and Kashmir are functioning with faculty shortages, with nearly 40 per cent of sanctioned teaching posts lying vacant, according to figures from the Higher Education Department.
Of the more than 3,300 teaching posts sanctioned across nine public universities and two central universities, only around 1,900 are filled. The shortfall — exceeding 1,400 posts — has left several institutions operating well below their approved strength.
At the University of Jammu, 252 teachers are in position against 442 sanctioned posts, leaving 43 per cent of positions vacant. The University of Kashmir has 373 teachers against 570 sanctioned posts, a shortfall of 35 per cent.
The situation is more acute at some institutions. Baba Ghulam Shah Badshah University in Rajouri has only 93 teachers against 241 sanctioned posts — a vacancy rate of over 60 per cent. The Islamic University of Science and Technology has 135 teachers against 385 sanctioned posts, with nearly two-thirds of positions unfilled.
In the agricultural universities, SKUAST-Jammu has 237 teachers against 411 sanctioned posts, leaving 42 per cent vacant. SKUAST-Kashmir is comparatively better placed, with 424 teachers against 540 posts, leaving 21 per cent unfilled.
Among central universities, the Central University of Kashmir has 108 teachers in position against 195 sanctioned posts, while the Central University of Jammu has 160 against 177. The two cluster universities present a sharper picture: Cluster University Jammu has 13 teachers against 16 sanctioned posts, while Cluster University Srinagar has 18 teachers against 56 — a vacancy rate of nearly 68 per cent.
The shortfall carries direct implications for students. Combined enrolment across all eleven universities stands at more than 69,000, the majority from the local category. Non-local students number 3,465, including 12 foreign nationals.
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The cluster universities carry the heaviest student load. Cluster University Jammu has 16,711 students enrolled, and Cluster University Srinagar has 16,179 — yet both operate with a fraction of their sanctioned faculty. The University of Kashmir has 12,002 students, while the University of Jammu has 3,946.
Other institutions with significant enrolment include SKUAST-Kashmir with 4,959 students, the Islamic University of Science and Technology with 4,827, Baba Ghulam Shah Badshah University with 2,401, and Central University of Jammu with 3,372.
Data on faculty composition shows a strong local presence in state universities. At the University of Kashmir, 356 of 373 teachers are from the local category. The University of Jammu has 198 local teachers out of 252 in position. SKUAST-Kashmir has 378 local teachers out of 424, while SKUAST-Jammu has 146 locals out of 237.
The pattern reverses in central universities. The Central University of Jammu has 112 non-local teachers out of 160 in position, while the Central University of Kashmir has 45 non-locals out of 108.
