Jaipur: As the Sanskrit education department gears up to celebrate Sanskrit Diwas on Thursday, a glaring issue looms over the festivities— the acute shortage of professors in state’s govt-run Sanskrit colleges and at the Rajasthan Sanskrit University.Despite being the only state in India with a dedicated department for Sanskrit education, the lack of faculty has become a persistent problem. At the Rajasthan Sanskrit University, a staggering 31 out of 50 sanctioned teaching positions remain vacant. Since 2017, no new recruitments have been made, leaving the university, which oversees more than 300 private and govt Sanskrit colleges, severely understaffed.The situation is further exacerbated by the absence of a Controller of Examination since 2022, forcing assistant professors to take on additional responsibilities to conduct exams for the 30,000 to 40,000 students who appear annually. The university’s research center has also been without a permanent director since 2011, with associate professors filling the role temporarily. Similarly, the 51 Sanskrit colleges under the Sanskrit education department are operating without permanent principals, relying on assistant professors to manage the institutions. Alarmingly, only 55 teachers are currently employed across these colleges.In a bid to address the staffing crisis, the state govt approved the recruitment of nine teaching and seven non-teaching staff at the university earlier this year. The recruitment process, initiated in April, is expected to conclude by the end of 2023. Additionally, minister for Sanskrit education Madan Dilawar announced ongoing recruitment for 3,483 posts, including 200 Assistant Acharya positions and over 2,700 teaching roles at various levels..
