Written by Soham ShahPune | October 10, 2025 03:43 AM IST 3 min readThe Indian Express reported in September that 62 per cent of government-sanctioned posts at the Savitribai Phule Pune University were vacant, and in major departments like Biotechnology, History, English, and Sociology, over 75 per cent of posts were vacant.All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE) chairman T G Sitharam on Thursday said governments are not investing enough money on higher education. Responding to a question about high number of vacancies in professor post in Maharashtra during an interaction with journalists, Sitharam said, “They are not putting money at all in education. That’s a major problem. Six per cent GDP spending on research and development, we are still (just) talking about it. (Currently) We are at 0.6 percent.”State universities in Maharashtra have been reeling with faculty vacancies for many years now. The Indian Express reported in September that 62 per cent of government-sanctioned posts at the Savitribai Phule Pune University were vacant, and in major departments like Biotechnology, History, English, and Sociology, over 75 per cent of posts were vacant.He added that the AICTE and the Union Education Ministry had taken steps to address this issue, “I had a meeting with the Secretary of Higher Education. I asked him to call all Principal Secretaries of Higher Education and appeal to them to fill these vacancies. Even our (Union) Education Minister himself has taken up the task of filling (vacancies) in IITs, along with the roster. The roster has also come in now. All this takes time.”Sitharam also remarked that nations’ economies were directly proportional to its higher education. “All of us have to put in (effort) the area of education. We becoming the fourth or third largest economy is directly linked to higher education. The countries that are doing very well in technology or other areas like Israel, South Korea – 95 per cent GER (gross enrollment ratio) in higher education. Japan 65 per cent, America 75 per cent. Where are we? We are at 29 per cent,” he added.On the rising number of students and booming number of private universities Sitharam stressed that the country needed more universities. “We need 1000 universities. Students are coming and we have a dual task: first is raising the quality and another is accommodating these students. Universities cannot be built in 10 years. I have built my IIT in Guwahati as a director. 25 years are required in the government sector for a full-blown university with a reasonable number of students, good quality of research, and innovation to happen. In private, they have money and flexibility, so 10 to 15 years. They also have to stick. The problem is we don’t have 10 years, we will have 5 crore students. I am very happy with what the government is doing. They are making a win-win situation.…Private universities control education, whether we like it or not,” he said.Sitharam was the chief guest at DES Pune University’s first convocation ceremony held on Wednesday where 183 graduated. AICTE is the national statutory authority for planning, formulation, and maintenance of norms and standards, accreditation, planning, and co-ordinated development of a technical education system.Soham is a Correspondent with the Indian Express in Pune. A journalism graduate, he was a fact-checker before joining the Express. Soham currently covers education and is also interested in civic issues, health, human rights, and politics. ... Read MoreClick here to join Express Pune WhatsApp channel and get a curated list of our stories© The Indian Express Pvt LtdTags:pune