Kullu: College teachers have raised concerns over the Himachal Pradesh govt‘s implementation of the four-year undergraduate degree programmes under the National Education Policy (NEP), claiming that faculty shortage and lack of proper academic infrastructure have left many govt colleges ill-equipped to deliver the multidisciplinary education envisaged under the new framework.
The development comes on the heels of the state govt’s decision to introduce the Four-Year Undergraduate Programme (FYUGP) in 29 govt colleges from the 2026-27 academic session.
In a report prepared on the implementation of the FYUGP in the selected colleges, teachers questioned whether faculty strength, infrastructure and academic planning were in place to support the ambitious reform.
According to Sanjay Kango, general secretary of the Himachal Pradesh Govt College Teachers’ Association (HPGCA), shortage of teachers in state colleges is a major issue.
“We are not opposed to the NEP or the four-year undergraduate programme. However, implementing it in its true spirit is not possible without adequate faculty and infrastructure. Against nearly 2,900 sanctioned posts, the state has only about 1,800 college teachers,” said Kango.
“According to the NEP guidelines, the teacher-student ratio should be 1:20. However, in many colleges, faculty shortage is forcing a single teacher to handle classes of nearly 80 students, making the prescribed teacher-student ratio difficult to achieve,” he said, adding that regular recruitment of college teachers was important for improving quality under the NEP.
“The recruitment process normally takes four or five years to complete, while 100 to 150 teachers retire every year. The govt should make annual recruitment of at least 100-150 teachers mandatory to maintain faculty strength. Along with teachers, colleges also need proper infrastructure,” said Kango.
He further said the HPGCA was not taken into confidence before implementing the programme. “Teachers are key stakeholders in implementing the NEP, but this year our association was not consulted before taking major decisions. We believe reforms should be introduced only after taking teachers into confidence,” Kango added.
The report states that another concern of teachers is the apparent inconsistency in faculty deployment across colleges under the new programme. In certain colleges, as many as four teachers have been allotted for a particular subject, whereas in other colleges offering the same subject, only one teacher has been provided. Such disparities raise questions regarding the criteria adopted for faculty allocation.
A lone faculty member cannot reasonably be expected to handle major and minor courses, multidisciplinary electives, skill enhancement courses, value-added courses and research guidance simultaneously without affecting the quality of teaching, the report added.
The report has also questioned the absence of transparent norms governing the faculty allocation under the NEP, as many issues have appeared, including different faculty allocation for similar student strength.
Another major concern raised in the report is the closure of certain streams, especially Commerce, in some colleges due to the rationalisation process. The report states that the closure or reduction of Commerce and other academic streams in some colleges runs contrary to the policy’s emphasis on multidisciplinary education under the NEP. Instead of expanding academic opportunities, they argue, the rationalisation process has narrowed these.
The report further claims that many colleges now offer only four or five disciplines, leaving students with limited options. This restricts meaningful academic choice and prevents students from pursuing the interdisciplinary combinations envisioned under the NEP.
According to the report, rural and remote colleges are likely to be the worst affected. Students studying in these institutions may have access to fewer subjects and specialised courses than those in larger colleges, potentially widening educational disparities across the state.
Seeking corrective measures, the report has called for an independent review of faculty deployment across govt colleges, transparent and uniform norms for teacher allocation, restoration of essential academic streams such as Commerce wherever student demand exists, and minimum faculty strength for every discipline under the FYUGP framework.
“Teachers are not against the NEP. Our concern is with its proper implementation. Multidisciplinary education cannot succeed without adequate teachers, infrastructure and proper academic planning. Without strengthening the basics, the objectives of the policy cannot be achieved,” said Ram Lal Sharma, former general secretary of the HPGCA, who works for reforms in higher education in the state.
According to Sharma, the govt should focus on employability under the NEP, or the state would end up creating an army of unemployed youth. “Every year, nearly 1.2 lakh students enter colleges in Himachal Pradesh. The curriculum still lacks adequate employment-oriented and industry-relevant courses. The four-year degree should prepare students for jobs in sectors such as tourism and horticulture, where the state has immense potential. Unless higher education is linked to employability and skill development, we risk creating an army of unemployed graduates with degrees but limited job opportunities,” he said.
In a notification issued on June 2, the state govt announced its decision to introduce four-year undergraduate programmes in 29 govt colleges from the 2026-27 academic session.
According to the notification, 26 govt degree colleges with enrolment exceeding 1,500 students will offer four-year undergraduate programmes with Honours and Honours with Research, while three colleges with enrolment between 1,000 and 1,500 students will offer four-year Honours programmes.
Seven of the selected colleges are located in Kangra district, five in Shimla, four in Mandi and three in Una. Bilaspur, Hamirpur, Sirmaur and Solan have two colleges each, while Chamba and Kullu have one college each. The remaining 91 govt colleges, along with the grant-in-aid DAV College, Kotkhai, will continue with the existing three-year undergraduate programmes, indicating a phased implementation of the reforms.
The NEP, approved by the Union govt in July 2020, seeks to transform higher education by promoting multidisciplinary learning, flexible entry and exit options, skill development, undergraduate research and greater institutional autonomy. Himachal Pradesh was the first state to announce its decision to implement the policy, a month after the NEP was approved.
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