178 Guest Lecturers Seek One-Time Lawful Recruitment as Teacher Shortage Deepens in Tripura Government Colleges
By Our Correspondent
Agartala, September 25, 2026
A demand has been raised for a one-time, transparent and legally compliant recruitment mechanism to consider 178 qualified Guest Lecturers serving in Tripura’s government degree colleges for appointment to Assistant Professor posts, amid concerns over teacher shortages and increasing academic responsibilities under the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 and the Four-Year Undergraduate Programme (FYUGP).
A detailed representation on behalf of the 178 Guest Lecturers has reportedly been submitted to the Chief Minister of Tripura, with copies forwarded to the Minister of Higher Education, Chief Secretary and Secretary of the Higher Education Department.
According to the representation, the applicants include teachers who have accumulated five to 15 years of teaching experience in government degree colleges. They have been engaged in classroom teaching as well as examination-related duties, evaluation of answer scripts, internal assessment, student mentoring and other academic and institutional responsibilities.
Their engagement as Guest Lecturers came to an end on August 31, 2026, according to the representation, prompting concerns over both their professional future and the availability of teaching personnel in government colleges.
The applicants have highlighted what they describe as a significant dependence on temporary teaching arrangements in the state's government colleges.
Figures cited in the representation indicate that government colleges have approximately 507 regular Assistant Professors and around 732 Guest Lecturers. Among the Guest Lecturers, approximately 178 are stated to possess the qualifications prescribed by the UGC along with five to 15 years of teaching experience in government degree colleges.
The applicants have therefore questioned whether a system that has relied on experienced Guest Lecturers for several years can address recurring academic requirements through temporary arrangements alone.
However, they have made it clear that their demand is not for automatic regularisation merely on the basis of length of service.
Instead, they have proposed a fresh selection or recruitment mechanism in which qualifications, experience, available vacancies, subject requirements and all applicable legal and regulatory provisions would be taken into consideration.
The demand has also been linked to the changing structure of higher education following implementation of NEP 2020 and FYUGP.
The applicants contend that the four-year undergraduate structure has expanded the responsibilities of teachers beyond conventional classroom instruction. Research methodology, project work, specialised and interdisciplinary courses, student mentoring, assessment and other academic activities have increased the level of interaction between teachers and students.
Against this backdrop, the applicants argue that discontinuation of experienced Guest Lecturers could create additional human-resource challenges for government colleges at a time when academic responsibilities are expanding.
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