A total of 6,210 teaching posts are vacant in 42 central universities under the Education Ministry. “In Indira Gandhi National Open University (IGNOU), 196 teaching posts are are vacant and 21 teaching posts are vacant in three sanskrit central universities,” Education Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank informed Lok Sabha on February 8. According to the minister, the University Grants Commission monitors filling up of vacancies and has prepared guidelines for recruitment of faculty in universities, colleges and institutions deemed to be varsities Apart from the vacant teaching posts, there are 12,437 non-teaching vacancies in central universities, which include 1,235 vacant posts in IGNOU, and 108 in three Sanskrit central universities. Recently, the government has set up two new central varsities in Andhra Pradesh. There are proposals of setting central universities at Bhagalpur and another one in Ladakh, the minister mentioned in a written reply to Lok Sabha. Last year, a total of 6,688 teaching posts were lying vacant in various varsities in India, including 12,323 non-teaching posts. Source: Indian Express