IITs struggling with funds, paucity of full-time professors

Third of faculty positions vacant, 1% seats empty; new institutes lag in infrastructure, research

Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs) are struggling to fill vacant faculty positions and seats, despite efforts by the Ministry of Human Resource Development (MHRD) to provide more autonomy and resources to these institutions.

The shortage of full-time teachers at IITs was 34 per cent at the end of 2017-18, up from 25 per cent in 2007-08, according to data tabled in Parliament. Ten years ago, there were only seven IITs, now there are 23. In 2014-15, the vacancy was 38 per cent. “The government is not taking care of the IITs because it is in favour of privatisation of higher