Candidates end 5-day long protest against lack of professor recruitment in Maharashtra

However the process has not moved forward with the Higher and Technical Education Minister citing lack of funds. State universities and private aided colleges have a large professor vacancy due lack of recruitment in the past few years. For example, Savitribai Phule Pune University is suffering from acute faculty shortage with 62 per cent of all government-funded posts vacant.

The protest was being held by the Maharashtra New Professors Association led by President Dr Sandeep Pathrikar and Secretary Dr Maroti Deshmukh. Pathrikar told The Indian Express, “We are currently ending the protest as we had a word with the director and he has said he will set up a meeting with either the Education Minister or the Secretary. We have given them the time till February 1, 2026. If there is no development till that date we will continue our fast onto death.”

The protesters demand that all posts vacant up to March 2025 should be filled immediately with the government giving 100 per cent approval for the recruitment of posts like Assistant Professor, Librarian, and Laboratory Assistant. They also demanded that professors working on clock-hour basis (CHB) should be given a minimum honorarium of Rs 1500/ per hour for 11 months. Similarly contractual professors should be paid Rs. 90,000/ per month for a period of 11 months in a year. Experience from hourly basis work should be considered for permanent appointment.

The protestors also demanded a CID or SIT investigation over allegations of corruption and of filling up professorial posts, promotions and non-teaching posts without permission of the government.