Parliamentary Committee Flags Vacancies at UGC, Warns of Hampered Education Reforms

A standing committee of Parliament has flagged massive vacancies at the University Grants Commission (UGC), noting that more than two-thirds of its non-teaching posts remain unfilled. The panel said the shortage could hamper the commission’s ability to process grants, monitor universities and implement reforms under the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020.“The Committee notes with concern the critical vacancy situation in UGC — 516 out of 763 sanctioned non-teaching positions are vacant (67.6 per cent vacancy rate). This severely impacts UGC’s capacity to discharge its statutory functions, including monitoring thousands of universities, processing grant proposals, and implementing NEP 2020,” the panel said in its report.The observations were made by the Department-related Parliamentary Standing Committee on Education, Women, Children, Youth and Sports in a recent set of reports reviewing higher education funding, student loan schemes and related programmes.The panel recommended a time-bound recruitment drive to substantially reduce vacancies by FY27. “The Committee recommends that UGC should take all necessary steps to fill up vacant positions in a time-bound manner, with a target of at least 75 per cent vacancy reduction by March 2027,” the report added.Beyond the UGC, the committee flagged vacancies in bodies such as the All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE), warning that gaps in technical and administrative positions could weaken their ability to supervise thousands of institutions across the country.Also ReadNo funds disbursed under ₹24K cr solar PLI scheme till Feb: Govt tells LSLS extends tenure of 'One Nation One Election' panel till Monsoon SessionRecent developments have cast shadow on Chabahar port, says Parl panelSuspension of eight Opposition MPs revoked after Parliament rapprochementCreate energy policy to shield economy from oil shock: Parl panel to FinMinIt also noted that faculty vacancies persist at centrally funded institutions such as the Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs), National Institutes of Technology (NITs) and Indian Institutes of Management (IIMs), despite recruitment drives in recent years. The committee recommended creating a consolidated database of vacancies across institutions and filling posts through time-bound recruitment to strengthen governance and academic capacity in the higher education system.The panel further observed that multiple bodies including, UGC, AICTE and other statutory regulators, continue to exercise overlapping functions despite reforms proposed under NEP 2020. It asked the government to ensure a clearer delineation of responsibilities among regulators to reduce duplication and administrative delays affecting institutions.The committee also criticised banks for poor fund disbursal under the Pradhan Mantri Vidyalaxmi programme, noting that only a small share of sanctioned loan amounts has actually reached students. It said several banks failed to process applications effectively and called for stronger monitoring and accountability in the loan system.According to the panel, only about ₹688 crore was disbursed out of the ₹4,427 crore sanctioned under the scheme. “These figures reflect the fact that around 15 per cent has been disbursed against the sanctioned amount of ₹4,427 crores of education loan under PM Vidyalaxmi scheme. The Committee, therefore, recommends the Department of Financial Services to ensure that sanctioned loans should not be curtailed or rejected,” the report said.Separately, the panel urged universities to integrate industry-linked training and structured internships into academic programmes to bridge the gap between higher education and labour market demand. It said curriculum design should move beyond ad hoc internships and instead incorporate sustained industry engagement. The recommendation comes amid growing concerns over graduate employability in India.