HRD ministry tells DU to set a deadline to fill staff vacancies

According to a senior official, a review meeting was called by the higher education secretary R Subrahmanyam, which was also attended by Delhi University vice-chancellor Yogesh Tyagi.

The Union human resource development (HRD) ministry has asked the Delhi University (DU) to set a timeline for filling hundreds of vacancies in its ranks as well as those in its constituent colleges.

According to a senior official, a review meeting was called by the higher education secretary R Subrahmanyam, which was also attended by Delhi University vice-chancellor Yogesh Tyagi.

“The ministry has expressed concern over the large number of vacancies in varsities as well as its constituent colleges. There are over 4,000 such vacancies. The government has accorded a high priority to filling vacancies in higher education institutions as this has a direct bearing on quality,” a senior official said.

Significantly, the HRD ministry has started the process of initiating recruitments a part of the 100-day agenda of the new government.

“The UGC (University Grants Commission) has asked all other universities also to set a timeline for filling vacant positions. However, the DU being a premier university, which has several constituent colleges that also have a shortage of faculty, a special review was held for it,” the official said.

It is learnt that the varsity has assured the ministry that recruitment would be taken up on a priority basis, soon after a meeting of the Delhi University’s executive council on June 28.

The vacancies in DU and its constituent colleges would be advertised in the coming days while the recruitment process is expected to begin by August, the official said.

Overall, in the higher education sector, it is estimated that there are nearly five lakh vacancies — all the central, state and private institutions put together.

The HRD ministry has been focusing on this aspect to bring a qualitative change in the educational scenario.

Union HRD minister Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank, shortly after taking over, has also emphasised on the need for filling vacant positions, the senior official added.