In the Tripura Legislative Assembly budget session, a heated debate erupted over vacant teaching positions and the recruitment of guest lecturers in the state’s higher education institutions. Congress MLA Sudip Roy Barman pressed Higher Education Minister Kishore Barman with a series of questions on the issue.

Raising the matter, Sudip Roy Barman highlighted that while the government has acknowledged 306 vacant posts, there are currently 732 guest or visiting lecturers employed across various colleges in the state. He pointed out that recruitment is underway for 200 posts through the Tripura Public Service Commission (TPSC), with a proposal for 201 new positions, bringing the total to 401. He questioned the rationale behind creating an additional 95 posts.

The Congress MLA also criticized inconsistencies in recruitment standards. While UGC guidelines require lecturers to have NET, SLET, or a PhD, many guest lecturers reportedly hold only postgraduate degrees. He alleged that, in some cases, candidates with just a postgraduate degree were promoted to assistant professor positions. He further inquired whether the age limit would be relaxed for candidates over 40 years.

Responding, Minister Kishore Barman sought to clarify the situation. However, Chief Minister Manik Saha intervened, explaining that the practice of appointing guest and visiting lecturers has been ongoing due to a long-standing shortage of NET, SLET, and PhD-qualified candidates.

Sudip Roy Barman countered this, claiming that nearly 1,700 eligible candidates exist in the state. The Chief Minister assured that the matter would be reviewed.

Earlier, Congress MLA Gopal Chandra Ray had raised the issue of vacant posts on the fifth day of the budget session. The minister reiterated that 306 posts remain vacant and efforts are underway to fill them, though opposition members sought clarity on the recruitment timeline.

Opposition leader Jitendra Chowdhury joined the discussion, noting that as of July 30, 2019, there were 1,390 sanctioned assistant professor positions and that UGC norms require a teacher-student ratio of 1:30.

Minister Kishore Barman provided detailed figures: of the 306 vacant posts, 234 are in general degree colleges, 26 in professional colleges, and 46 in technical institutions. In general degree colleges, out of 683 posts, 449 have been filled, and TPSC has been requested to recruit 201 assistant professors. In technical colleges, 58 out of 104 posts are filled, leaving 46 vacant. Additionally, proposals for 200 new posts have been submitted.

Despite these measures, the continued employment of 732 guest lecturers in state colleges remains the focal point of opposition criticism.