Chandrakant Patil urges universities to speed up professor recruitment

With the implementation of the National Education Policy (NEP) underway, the role of professors in delivering quality education has become increasingly critical. To ensure this, Maharashtra's Higher and Technical Education Minister, Chandrakant Patil, has urged all university Vice-Chancellors (V-Cs) to accelerate the recruitment process for faculty positions already approved by the state government.
A recent meeting of university V-Cs, chaired by Patil, reviewed the progress of NEP implementation and addressed various education-related matters.
The State government has approved the recruitment of 600 professor posts across universities, including Savitribai Phule Pune University (SPPU). However, the hiring process faced several delays, initially due to the Lok Sabha and Assembly elections, and later owing to adjustments in the reservation policy.
Commenting about the delay, Patil said, 'More than 600 posts have been vacant for over a year. The main reason for the delay was a stay imposed by Governor Ramesh Bais. He had suggested handing over the recruitment process to the MPSC, but that was not practically feasible.'
There hasn't been a major professor recruitment in SPPU for many years, leaving many teaching positions vacant. The government's recent approval had raised hopes among qualified, job-seeking candidates, but continued delays have renewed their concerns.
'If one candidate has a PhD from Pune University and another from Gadchiroli, how do you assign equal weightage? I told the governor that this confusion is delaying progress and affecting the education system,' Patil said.
With municipal elections expected to be announced soon, there is a looming risk of further postponement. Minister Patil emphasised the urgency, stating that universities must complete the recruitment process at the earliest to ensure the effective rollout of NEP and address staffing shortages.
When asked about the recruitment, SPPU V-C Suresh Gosavi said, 'We will follow all the instructions given to us regarding the recruitment process. Everything is lined up, and we will begin the process smoothly next month.'
Commenting on the delayed process, PhD scholar Tukaram Shinde stated, 'Recruitment has not been done for many years, and it is affecting students' academics. Under the NEP, students deserve quality teaching, but one teacher is often handling two subjects and facing an excessive workload. Several departments in the varsity are understaffed, affecting the futures of the students.'

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