India, June 24 -- Severe shortage of teachers and non-teaching staff in government and state-aided colleges in Maharashtra is creating hurdles in the implementation of the National Education Policy (NEP). With nearly 11,900 assistant professor posts and 12,500 non-teaching positions in colleges across the state lying vacant as of December 2024, institutions are finding it difficult to maintain academic standards while also adjusting to demands of the new curriculum.

CP Radhakrishnan, the governor and chancellor of all state universities, held a meeting last week with higher and technical education minister Chandrakant Patil and senior department officials to address the issue. He is considering revising the recruitment criteria and has s...