Agartala, March 20, 2026: Congress MLA Sudip Roy Barman on Friday cornered Higher Education Minister Kishor Barman in the Assembly, raising sharp questions over discrepancies in faculty vacancies and the engagement of guest lecturers across colleges in the state.

Raising the issue during the budget session, Roy Barman pointed out that while the government admitted to 306 vacant posts in higher educational institutions, as many as 732 guest or visiting lecturers are currently engaged. He further noted that 200 posts are pending recruitment through the Tripura Public Service Commission (TPSC), while 201 new posts are proposed to be created—taking the total to 401. Questioning the logic, he asked why an additional 95 posts are being proposed when hundreds of positions remain vacant and are being managed through part-time appointments.

Alleging contradictions in the minister’s reply, Roy Barman also flagged concerns over recruitment norms. Citing University Grants Commission (UGC) guidelines, he said lecturers should possess NET, SLET, or Ph.D qualifications. “However, it is widely seen that many guest and visiting lecturers are only postgraduates. Even PG degree holders have been promoted as Assistant Professors,” he said, further questioning whether the upper age limit would be relaxed for candidates above 40 years.

Responding to the queries, Minister Kishor Barman attempted to clarify the figures, but Chief Minister Manik Saha intervened, stating that the practice of appointing guest and visiting lecturers has been in place for a long time due to a shortage of candidates with NET, SLET, and Ph.D qualifications.

Roy Barman, however, countered that around 1,700 such qualified candidates are available in the state. The Chief Minister assured the House that the matter would be examined in detail.

Earlier, Congress MLA Gopal Chandra Roy had raised the issue of vacancies in colleges on the fifth day of the budget session. In response, the minister reiterated that 306 posts are vacant and steps are being taken to fill them. Seeking a timeline, Roy asked when the recruitment process would begin.

Leader of the Opposition Jitendra Chaudhury also joined the discussion, noting that as per a reply dated July 30, 2019, there are 1,390 sanctioned posts of Assistant Professors, and the UGC prescribes a 1:30 teacher-student ratio.

Providing a detailed break-up, Minister Barman said the 306 vacancies include 234 in general degree colleges, 26 in professional degree colleges, and 46 in technical institutions. He added that general degree colleges currently have 683 faculty posts, of which 449 are filled, and requisition has been sent to TPSC for 201 Assistant Professors. Recruitment rules for professional colleges are under amendment, while technical colleges have 104 posts, with 58 filled and 46 vacant. The government has also proposed the creation of 200 additional posts.

Despite these measures, the minister acknowledged that 732 guest lecturers are presently engaged across colleges in Tripura, a point that remained at the centre of the opposition’s criticism.