November 9 ,2026
The number of students have increased but the proportionate increase in the number of higher education teachers has not happened.
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India’s colleges and universities have added millions of students over the past decade. But the teaching workforce has not grown at the same pace. A new Economic Advisory Council to the Prime Minister paper flags faculty shortages, including significant vacancies at IITs, IIMs and NITs.
India’s higher education system has a numbers’ problem. More students are entering colleges and universities, but the growth in the number of teachers has failed to keep pace.
Between 2014-15 and 2023-24, student enrolment in higher education increased by 31.5%, rising from 3.42 crore to 4.50 crore. In comparison, the number of teachers grew by just 17.6%, from 14.73 lakh to 17.32 lakh.
The higher education student-teacher ratio has worsened from 23:1 in 2014–15 to 26:1 in 2023–24.
India’s colleges and universities have added millions of students over the past decade. But the teaching workforce has not grown at the same pace.