Tripura defers launch of Technical and Women's universities by a year amid infrastructure shortfall

By Our Correspondent

Agartala, August 6, 2026

The Tripura government has postponed the launch of the proposed Technical University and Women's University by one academic year, citing academic scheduling, even as officials and higher education sources attributed the delay to inadequate infrastructure and faculty shortages.

Higher Education Minister Kishor Barman on Wednesday said both universities would become operational from the next academic session, contrary to the State government's earlier announcement that three new universities — Medical, Technical and Women's — would begin functioning during the current academic year following the passage of the requisite legislation in the Assembly.

"The admission process for postgraduate courses has already been completed. Therefore, the Technical University and the Women's University will start full-fledged admissions and academic activities from the next academic year," Mr. Barman told reporters. He, however, did not specify the reasons for the deferment.

According to sources in the Higher Education Department, the government has been unable to create the infrastructure required for the two institutions, including classrooms, academic facilities and adequate teaching staff. The sources said the delay reflects the challenges of implementing the National Education Policy (NEP) reforms without completing the necessary institutional preparations.

The decision is expected to have its greatest impact on students of Government Women's College, Agartala, which had been identified for conversion into the proposed Women's University. With the project deferred, many students seeking postgraduate education may now have to apply to private universities, where tuition costs are significantly higher.

A section of students and parents alleged that they did not appear for the Common University Entrance Test for Postgraduate Programmes (CUET-PG), relying on the State government's assurance that postgraduate courses would commence at the proposed Women's University this academic year. They now face limited opportunities at Tripura University and Maharaja Bir Bikram (MBB) University, where postgraduate seats in several disciplines are limited.

Sources said the Union government had approved the establishment of the two universities nearly two years ago. The proposal envisaged upgrading Government Women's College into a Women's University and developing the Tripura Institute of Technology (TIT), Agartala, into a Technical University.

The Higher Education Department had also initiated plans for appointing Vice-Chancellors and Registrars for the two universities, followed by recruitment to teaching and administrative positions, including Professors, Associate Professors, Assistant Professors and senior administrative officers. However, with the launch postponed, the proposed recruitment process has also been delayed.

While the proposed universities are understood to have financial support from the Union government, officials acknowledged that the State has yet to complete the infrastructure development and faculty recruitment necessary to make the institutions operational.

Mr. Barman said the government would shortly appoint 200 Assistant Professors after the Tripura Public Service Commission (TPSC) submitted the list of selected candidates. He added that the process to recruit another 201 Assistant Professors for government general degree colleges was also underway to address the shortage of teaching staff across the State.

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