The Tripura government has stepped up efforts to address the shortage of teaching staff in state-run colleges, with initiatives underway to fill 325 vacant teaching positions, Higher Education Minister Kishor Barman told the Tripura Legislative Assembly on Friday.

The Minister was responding to questions raised by CPI(M) MLA Asoke Chandra Mitra during the ongoing Assembly session.

Of the total vacancies, 243 are in general degree colleges, 26 in professional colleges, 46 in technical colleges and 10 in polytechnics, Barman said.

Providing details of the recruitment process, the Minister said the Higher Education Department had already approached the Tripura Public Service Commission (TPSC) for recruitment to 201 Assistant Professor posts in general degree colleges. The first phase of interviews has been completed, following which TPSC forwarded a panel of 74 candidates covering 14 subjects to the department.

The second phase of interviews is currently in progress and is expected to conclude soon. Appointment-related formalities will be completed after the recruitment process, the Minister said.

In a move aimed at strengthening the teaching workforce further, the Finance Department has approved the creation of 200 additional Assistant Professor posts for government degree colleges. These posts will be filled through regular recruitment after the department receives subject-wise recommendations from TPSC.

Barman said the government is also working to fill vacancies in professional colleges. The department is in the process of amending the existing Recruitment Rules (RR), after which recruitment will be initiated. Separately, Finance Department approval has been sought to fill five vacant Assistant Professor posts at Government Music College.

On vacancies in technical education, the Minister said the government is planning to convert the Tripura Institute of Technology (TIT) into the Tripura Government Technical University. The remaining teaching vacancies will be addressed after necessary infrastructure and institutional strengthening are undertaken in line with the Technical University Act.

In a separate response, Barman said Tripura currently has 41 government colleges under the Higher Education Department. These include 29 general degree colleges, five professional colleges, six polytechnics and one technical college.

Together, these institutions cater to 69,677 students and have 797 regular college teachers, according to the Minister.