34% Teaching Posts Vacant In Centrally Funded Institutions: SBI Research | Education and Career News
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IIITs had the highest vacancy rate at 54%, followed by IITs at 39%, Central Universities at 33%, IIMs at 31%, NITs at 29% and IISERs at 7%, according to the SBI report.
Student enrolment has increased, reaching 4.5 crore in FY24. (AI Image)
India’s higher education system has expanded sharply over the past decade, with the number of universities, colleges and standalone institutions rising substantially and student enrolment crossing 4.5 crore. However, the expansion has also been accompanied by a significant shortage of teaching staff, with 34% of sanctioned teaching positions vacant across centrally funded higher education institutions, according to a new SBI Research report.
The report, titled The State of Higher Education in India since 2014, said India had 1,289 universities, 48,246 colleges and 15,221 standalone institutions in FY24, taking the total number of higher education institutions to 64,756. The number of academic institutions has grown by 47% compared with FY14, according to the analysis based on AISHE data.
Student enrolment has also increased, reaching 4.5 crore in FY24. Of the total enrolment, 15.5% students belonged to the Scheduled Caste category, 6.4% to Scheduled Tribes and 40.1% to Other Backward Classes, while the remaining 38% were from other communities. At the UG level, Arts accounted for the largest share of enrolment at 32.1%, followed by Science at 13.5%, Engineering and Technology at 12.9% and Commerce at 12%.
14,042 Teaching Posts Vacant
The number of teachers in higher education increased from 13.67 lakh in 2013-14 to 17.32 lakh in 2023-24, a 27% rise over the decade. Women accounted for 45% of teachers in FY24, compared with 39% in 2013-14.
Despite this increase, the SBI Research report highlighted a substantial gap between sanctioned and filled positions in centrally funded institutions. Citing data from the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Education, the report said 14,042 of 41,351 sanctioned teaching positions were vacant, translating into a vacancy rate of 34%.
The shortage varied across institutions. IIITs had the highest vacancy rate at 54%, followed by IITs at 39%, Central Universities at 33%, IIMs at 31%, NITs at 29% and IISERs at 7%. The report also noted that 56.2% of professor posts were vacant.
Student-Teacher Ratio Varies Across States
The report noted that India’s overall pupil-teacher ratio in regular higher education was 23 students per teacher in FY24. However, there were significant variations across states.
Tamil Nadu, Kerala and Goa had a ratio of 14 students per teacher, while Bihar recorded a ratio of 57 and Jharkhand 48. Delhi had a ratio of 20, Uttar Pradesh 33 and Rajasthan 25.
SBI Research noted that the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Education had cited 15:1 as the ideal pupil-teacher ratio for higher education. The report therefore called for state-level variations in the ratio to be addressed.
Higher Education Spending Remains Around 1%
The report also flagged the share of higher education in government expenditure. While budget expenditure on higher education increased from Rs 23,152 crore in FY15 to Rs 55,727 crore in FY27 (Budget Estimates), its share of total government expenditure has remained around 1% in recent years, down from 1.6% in FY18.
SBI Research recommended increasing the share to 1.5%, along with greater investment in research and development and stronger academia-industry links.
Vocational Training Limited
The report also highlighted gaps in vocational training among young Indians. According to PLFS data cited by SBI Research, 30.7% of Indians aged 15–29 had received or were receiving vocational training in 2025, up from 7.1% in 2018.
The participation rate was 39.9% among young men and 21.2% among young women. The survey also noted that the share remains below levels reported for several developed economies and called for vocational training to be expanded more rapidly.
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Ask News18According to an SBI Research report titled The State of Higher Education in India since 2014, 34% of sanctioned teaching positions are vacant across centrally funded higher education institutions, amounting to 14,042 unfilled posts out of 41,351 sanctioned positions.
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October 02, 2026, 13:55 IST
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