BAREILLY: Union minister of state for human resource development Mahendra Nath Pandey on Wednesday told TOI that there is a nearly 20% vacancy in universities and institutions of higher education in the country, and that instructions had been issued to the heads of these institutions to fill up the vacancies . The minister added that if there was a large imbalance in fees charged by private schools , the Centre would look into the matter."A massive campaign is underway to fill vacancies in schools and we are on the verge of completion. However, universities and institutes of higher education have a continuous process of appointments whenever there is a vacancy. They do not have a cutoff date. We have filled many vacancies but still, there is a nearly 20% vacancy in faculty positions at universities and institutions of higher education in the country. We are trying to fill this gap as well and have been continuously giving directions to heads of these institutions about this," Pandey said. The minister was in Bareilly on Wednesday to attend the convocation ceremony of a private university.Asked about universities in UP not being able to maintain quality because, on average, 500 or more colleges were attached to each state university, Pandey said, "In a few states, universities have increased the number of colleges attached to them. The ministry will soon talk to the UP government for reducing the burden of hundreds of colleges attached to a university each. We are serious about ensuring better governance and academic excellence in universities. When the state government initiates the process of starting new universities, the Centre will fully support them. The change in UP will be visible soon."On being asked about steps being taken to regulate fees of private schools, Pandey said, "The Centre understand the plight of guardians who face harassment from private schools. It is necessary to fix norms so that there is no large disparity in the fees charged by private schools. The UP government is monitoring the issue and if it seeks our help, the Centre will issue an advisory in the interest of parents keeping in mind the academic development of the children. If there is a large imbalance in fees charged by private schools, the Centre will look into the matter."The minister said that they have recently declared names of 23 fake universities and are continuously releasing advisories in this regard so that the future of students is not affected. "It has also been decided to again publicise the names of regular universities and institutions and fake ones, to alert students and their parents," Pandey added.

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