Ranchi, Aug. 21: Four state universities together have identified a staggering number of 877 faculty vacancies while the fifth and oldest Ranchi University is yet to tabulate the number of teachers it needs after state higher and technical education department recently set the ball rolling to hire professors in Jharkhand for the first time after 2008.

Identifying the number of vacancies, which in effect reflects the magnitude of faculty crisis, gains significance as the state government, during the March Assembly budget session, ensured a law by tweaking Jharkhand State University Act to empower Jharkhand Public Service Commission (JPSC) to appoint state varsity teachers, ending the longstanding confusion over whether the commission could.

But, state higher and technical education department has not yet finalised rules and criteria to recruit/promote varsity teachers and officials on the lines of University Grants Commission (UGC) norms. Without clear rules, there is no deadline on recruitments.

On why the delay, state higher education director Balendu Bhushan Anandmurti said a notification to the effect of changes in the state varsity Act was published by the law department on May 25.

"We are preparing rules and regulations related to recruitment/promotion of varsity teachers but it will take some time," he said without specifying a deadline.

On the bright side, Anandmurti, who admitted that the task of declaring vacant posts of teachers and senior official positions (registrar, deputy registrar, controller of examinations and the like) had been lingering for years, stressed respective varsities could now directly sent requisitions to JPSC to start the process of filling up posts.

Off the record, a JPSC official admitted matters could get delayed as recruitment rules had not been processed. "We are waiting. The state needs to adopt UGC guidelines," he said.

Still, some action is happening after eight years, vice chancellors say, as the number of faculty vacancies is reaching a critical mass across campuses in the state.

Kolhan University (KU) headquartered in Chaibasa tops the list with 274 assistant professor vacancies followed by Vinoba Bhave University (VBU) in Hazaribagh with 208, Sido Kanhu Murmu University (SKMU) in Dumka with 188 and Nilamber-Pitamber University (NPU) in Palamau with 63.

As many as 42 posts of associate professors are vacant in NPU, 34 in SKMU and 6 in VBU. As far as professors go, 21 posts are vacant in NPU, followed by 12 in SKMU and six in VBU. Fifteen posts of principals are vacant in VBU and four each at SKMU and NPU.

KU, which covers East Singhbhum, West Singhbhum and Seraikela-Kharsawan, is reeling under acute faculty crunch, admits the VC of the varsity R.P.P. Singh. "Almost 70 per cent posts of teachers are vacant at UG level. The situation is no better in PG. We have 22 PG departments, but are dependent on teachers on deputation to teach. In PG, we need 22 professors, 44 associate professors and 66 assistant professors," he said.

SKMU VC Qamar Ahsan told this correspondent that about 60 per cent teaching posts were vacant. The average age of teachers in the varsity is 55. By year-end, 17 more will retire. Hope the new lot comes in six months."

SKMU, which caters to six Santhal Pargana districts, considered the state's tribal belt, faces an acute shortage of teachers of English, physics and chemistry, VC Ahsan added. "There has been spurt of over 40 per cent in students in three years. For now, we have 30,000 students," he said.

Ranchi University has not yet provided a list of vacancies, but the number could be "around 400-500", its vice chancellor R.K. Pandey said. Asked why, Pandey said "technical objections" were raised at the university level.