Faculty crisis in Telangana universities: Only 753 teachers for 2,878 posts, says SIO

Hyderabad: Highlighting a severe staffing crisis in higher education, the Students Islamic Organisation (SIO), Telangana, stated that State universities currently have only about 753 working faculty members against 2,878 sanctioned posts.

This means State universities are operating with just a fraction of their required faculty, while even hundreds of school teaching posts remain vacant.

Make education the focal point of budget

To bridge this gap, Telangana SIO has urged the State government to make structural educational reforms the focal point of the upcoming 2026-27 State budget.

This massive shortage is directly impacting academic standards and research output.

666 posts vacant in Urdu medium posts

Furthermore, the SIO raised serious concerns over the (District Selection Committee) DSC-2024 teacher recruitment drive.

Out of the 1,183 Urdu medium posts announced, only 517 are being filled, leaving 666 posts vacant and depriving thousands of students of adequate teaching staff.

Underutilisation of minority funds

Beyond recruitment, the student body criticised the persistent delays and underutilisation of funds allocated for education and minority welfare.

A major immediate concern is the delayed disbursement of scholarships under the Tuition Fee Reimbursement (RTF) and Maintenance Fee (MTF) schemes, which SIO noted is causing severe disruptions to the academic progress of thousands of students across Telangana.

Mohd Faraz Ahmed, State President of SIO Telangana, stated, “The government must ensure that the funds allocated for education and minority welfare are fully utilised in a transparent and timely manner. Delays in scholarship disbursement and unfilled teaching posts directly affect the educational prospects of thousands of students across Telangana.”

Little room for investment in teacher training

The organisation also noted that a large portion of the current education budget is consumed by salaries, leaving very little room for investment in teacher training, academic innovation, and institutional infrastructure.

They urged the government to balance its expenditure to improve the quality of learning in the state.

Implementation of RTE norms

Calling for greater educational equality, the SIO demanded the strict implementation of Section 12(1)(c) of the Right to Education (RTE) Act. This section mandates a 25 per cent reservation for disadvantaged children in private schools.

If implemented properly, the SIO highlighted that it could open up nearly 90,000 seats annually for socio-economically weaker students in the state.

‘Make a commitment to spend the allocation for education effectively’

Addressing minority welfare, the organisation pointed out that several educational schemes for minority students are suffering due to administrative bottlenecks and slow fund releases.

They urged the government to honour the commitments made in its Minority Declaration by ensuring that the entire budget allocated for minority education and youth empowerment is spent effectively and transparently.