Editor,
Commerce education in Arunachal Pradesh is facing a serious but often overlooked challenge – the shortage of sanctioned and advertised vacancies for commerce faculty members in government colleges.
While student enrolment in commerce streams has been increasing, the number of teaching posts has not expanded at the same pace, resulting in a growing gap between academic demand and the availability of qualified teachers.
Several government colleges reflect this situation. Donyi Polo Government College in Kamki, Wangcha Rajkumar Government College in Tirap, and the Government College in Bomdila in West Kameng are functioning with inadequate commerce faculty strength. Despite this, the officially notified vacancies remain fewer than what is required for the effective functioning of commerce departments.
One of the main reasons for this situation is the limited number of sanctioned posts. Many commerce departments were established when student strength was relatively low. Over time, enrolment has increased and academic responsibilities have expanded in line with UGC norms, but sanctioned posts have not been revised accordingly. As a result, the actual shortage of teachers is not fully reflected in official vacancy figures.
Another contributing factor is the dependence on guest and contractual faculty. To ensure continuity of classes, colleges often engage temporary teachers. While this arrangement helps in the short term, it also limits the creation and advertisement of regular posts, affecting long-term academic planning and stability.
The impact of this shortage is significant. Existing teachers are required to manage heavy teaching loads along with evaluation and administrative responsibilities. This leaves limited scope for research activities, academic innovation, and student mentoring. Students are ultimately affected due to reduced academic exposure and learning opportunities.
Commerce education plays a vital role in developing skills related to finance, entrepreneurship, accounting, and management – areas that are essential for the economic development of Arunachal. Strengthening faculty availability in commerce colleges is therefore important for building a skilled and knowledgeable workforce.
There is a need for periodic assessment of faculty requirements in commerce departments across colleges. Revising sanctioned posts in accordance with student strength and UGC norms, and prioritising regular recruitment would help address existing gaps.
In conclusion, the issue is not merely a shortage of commerce teachers but a mismatch between academic needs and sanctioned vacancies. Addressing this gap will contribute to improving the quality of higher education and supporting the academic future of commerce students in Arunachal.
Assistant professor aspirant,
Commerce department,
Rajiv Gandhi University