Staff crunch: Most univs operate at 50%

Staff crunch: Most univs operate at 50% 

V.Srivatsal@timesofindia.com 22.01.2026

Trichy : Data from 21 state universities received under an RTI petition shows most institutions are functioning with around 50% vacancies. A few, including Madras University, have vacancies as high as 65% of sanctioned strength across ranks of professor, associate professor and assistant professor. 

Fourteen universities fall in 40–50% vacancy range, with TN physical education and sports university at 56%, Manonmaniam Sundaranar university at 50% and Bharathidasan university at 49%. With double-digit retirements expected in 2026 and 2027, the situation could worsen. 

Bharathiar university is the only institution with relatively lower vacancies at 15%, though it is also set to see over 20 retirements by 2026–27, says the RTI data collected by an activist between Apr and various months of 2025. Sources said the last major recruitment drive across state universities was carried out in 2014. “It is not just this govt, but the previous govt as well. Steps will have to be taken to address this at the earliest, as it affects students’ education. If there are not enough qualified staff, how can quality education be delivered,” said former Madras university V-C P Duraisamy. There are 335 vacancies against a sanctioned strength of 515 at the university. 

“Guest faculty are engaged to bridge the gap. While many of them are competent, they are not recognised as regular employees and therefore cannot take up several academic responsibilities. They are not permitted to guide research scholars or formally present projects and papers, affecting the research output a regular staff may have added. The shortage of regular staff also affects formation of committees with diverse representation, resulting in same individuals being repeatedly nominated to university and govt committees,” said a senior retired professor from BDU. 

Former AUT president K Pandiyan said the crisis is financial. “UGC restrictions on distance education reduced income. For years, TN withheld block grants from institutions earning higher

revenues. Grants were restored after 2019, but it didn’t help. Poor recruitment in the past affected research inflows, while corruption, administrative lapses and nepotism weakened things,” he said.