Haryana Government Colleges Grapple with Severe Staff Shortages
New information from a Right to Information (RTI) application has exposed a troubling situation in Haryana's higher education sector. According to sources within the Higher Education Department, a staggering 40% of the state's 185 government colleges currently function without regular principals. This translates to approximately 75 institutions operating without permanent leadership.
Widespread Principal Vacancies Across Districts
Activist Subhash, who filed the RTI application on October 3, 2025, revealed that at that time, 85 government colleges lacked regular principals. Eight of these colleges did not even have sanctioned posts for principals. The problem appears most severe in certain districts.
Mahendragarh district faces the worst situation, with 14 colleges missing principals. Bhiwani and Rewari districts each have eight colleges without principals. Charkhi Dadri has three such colleges, while Fatehabad district reports seven institutions operating without regular principals.
Massive Faculty Shortage in Critical Subjects
The staffing crisis extends far beyond administrative positions. The RTI data shows that 4,902 regular assistant professor positions remain vacant out of a total sanctioned strength of 8,137 posts. Only 3,235 positions currently have regular faculty members.
English departments suffer the most severe shortage, with 792 vacant posts out of 1,146 sanctioned positions. Geography departments have 508 vacancies from 806 posts. Commerce faces 486 vacancies from 1,034 posts, while Mathematics has 409 vacancies from 704 posts.
Other subjects experiencing significant shortages include:
- Chemistry: 409 vacancies from 583 posts
- Computer Science: 233 vacancies from 476 posts
- Hindi: 335 vacancies from 528 posts
- Physical Education: 140 vacancies from 199 posts
- History: 209 vacancies from 366 posts
- Psychology: 130 vacancies from 227 posts
Complete Vacancies in Multiple Departments
The most alarming revelation concerns several specialized departments where every single sanctioned post remains vacant. According to the RTI response, "every single sanctioned post" for assistant professor stands empty in these subjects:
- Anthropology
- Electronics
- Geology
- Management
- Biology
- Information Technology
- Microbiology
- Environment
- Statistics
- Urdu
Government Response and Temporary Measures
Haryana Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini's media secretary Praveen Attrey explained the government's efforts to address the crisis. The Higher Education Department has sent a requisition for 2,424 assistant professor posts to the Haryana Public Service Commission (HPSC).
The Commission has completed recruitment for 416 posts and recommended candidates to the Department, with appointments currently underway. The process for filling remaining positions continues to progress.
To manage the immediate workload caused by vacancies and increasing student demand, the department has engaged approximately 2,000 extension lecturers as contractual employees. Additionally, 45 guest lecturers work in various colleges as a temporary arrangement.
Administrative Appointments Through Promotions
Regarding the principal vacancies, Attrey stated that the government filled 31 college principal posts through promotions in August 2025. The process of filling remaining vacancies continues through both promotions and direct recruitment.
Authorities have accelerated efforts to fill principal positions, primarily through promotions of existing college teachers. Once all HPSC-recommended recruits receive appointments, the department expects to have adequate teaching staff across subjects.
The extensive vacancies raise serious questions about the quality of higher education in Haryana. Students across numerous disciplines face limited access to regular faculty, potentially affecting their academic outcomes and future prospects.
