KU faces shortage of non-teaching staff, over 500 posts vacant since 2016
The University of Kashmir is grappling
with a shortage of nonteaching
staff, with over 500
positions remaining vacant
since 2016 due to lack of
recruitment. The staff deficiency
is directly impacting
the Varsity’s ability to fulfil its
academic and administrative
responsibilities.
University officials privy to
the details said that out of the
total 2,450 sanctioned nonteaching
positions, including
those on satellite campuses, only
1,900 are currently occupied.
The remaining 550 positions
have been vacant since 2016,
primarily due to retirement of
employees.
This issue is compounded by
an annual exodus of 70-80 nonteaching
employees retiring, further
exacerbating the staffing
vacuum. Several university
departments are particularly
hard-hit by this crisis, notably
the Watch and Ward section,
sanitation, hostels, examination
wing, and landscape division, all
of which are grappling with 30-
40 vacancies each.
The administrative block,
Alama Iqbal Library, and the
research centre are also affected,
with nearly 100 technical positions
remaining unoccupied.
These vacant positions encompass
roles such as laboratory
assistants, lab attendants, junior
technical assistants, professional
assistants and computer assistants.
The vacancies have significantly
impacted the science
department, hampering critical
research work. “Some
heads of departments have
had to engage ad hoc assistants
to compensate for the
staff shortage, while in other
cases, HODs are forced to take
on clerical duties due to the
lack of essential support,” a
senior Professor said.
The issue extends to the
Physical Education Department,
where critical roles, including
the women’s gym coach and
sports assistant, remain unfilled,
posing risks to the safety of
female students. “If the current
trend of positions going vacant
continues, it is projected that
nearly 50 percent of positions
will remain unoccupied,” a
Professor said.
He said that non-teaching staff members play a vital role in
the university’s operations and
research activities. However, he
said, this issue has been neglected
since 2016, with no recruitment
efforts taking place.
Despite the university’s efforts
to address the issue by advertising
nearly 80 positions in May this
year, an official revealed that the
recruitment process has seen limited
progress. “The university
released various notices this year to
fill up multiple vacancies, including
Junior Assistants, Legal Assistants
and Research Assistants. However,
the process has stagnated for undisclosed
reasons,” he said. He added
that non-teaching positions typically
follow a straightforward procedure
involving only a written test,
with no interviews required.
The delay in the recruitment
process has led to growing frustration
among applicants, who anxiously
await the scheduling of
examinations and the finalisation
of appointments. “I have been diligently
preparing for the exams
over the past five months, but
unfortunately, there have been no
significant developments. I sincerely
hope that the recruitment
process is expedited to alleviate the
concerns of aspiring candidates,”
one such applicant from Budgam
said.
Nelofar Khan, Vice
Chancellor of the University,
said that her top priority is to fill
the vacant posts. “We were busy
with the University convocation,
and now that we have successfully
completed it, we will begin filling
up the vacant posts from next
month,” she added.
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