5,012 assistant professor posts cleared in Maharashtra, but candidates still await interviews

Recruitment to 5,012 assistant professor posts in Maharashtra's non-government aided senior colleges was approved in February 2026. The interview process has still not moved ahead. More than three months have passed since advertisements were issued in July-August, yet many colleges have not released an interview schedule. Qualified candidates are left confused.

The Higher and Technical Education Department, through a government resolution (GR) dated 11 February 2026, cleared recruitment to 5,012 vacant posts in non-government aided senior colleges affiliated to the state's public universities. Workload was fixed according to the number of students, posts were divided equally by subject, and the reservation process was completed. Colleges then began follow-up action. Many institutions invited applications from eligible candidates through newspaper advertisements. The application process is over, but interviews have not begun.

To bring transparency to recruitment, the government issued a separate GR on 31 August 2026. It directed that applications be accepted both online and offline, that candidates be shortlisted according to UGC norms, what the selection committee should look like, and that interviews be recorded on CCTV. It also said the interview recordings must be preserved for at least one year.

Candidates complain that actual interviews have not started even after this GR. According to candidates who applied, advertisements were published and they submitted applications in many colleges. When asked about interviews, colleges say the university has not yet formed the selection committee. For this reason, candidates have not received interview call letters. Notably, it was the university that had granted permission to advertise by issuing an NOC. When asked, university administrations say the government has not yet permitted interviews. Universities also say the government never sent the proforma for interviews, so selection committees could not be formed.

Sant Gadge Baba Amravati University issued a circular on 16 September 2026, based on a decision of its Management Council dated 5 September 2026. It asked affiliated non-government aided colleges to recruit while strictly following the GR of 31 August. Even so, the current status of recruitment in colleges affiliated to the university is unclear. It had been hoped that recruitment would pick up after the model code of conduct for the Legislative Council elections ended, but candidates are still waiting.

Director of Higher Education Dr Shailendra Deolankar said there is no bar on starting professor recruitment once the NOC is received from the government. Colleges should therefore start recruitment immediately on receiving the NOC, and universities should extend full cooperation. Colleges should get the recruitment advertisement approved by the university, obtain the panel for the required selection committee and then complete the process quickly.

Dr Deolankar also said, "Earlier there were some restrictions on holding interviews because of the code of conduct, but the code of conduct is now over. So there is no reason left to hold up recruitment. After the NOC is received from the government, colleges and universities should move recruitment forward in coordination, without needless delay. There is no room for any confusion in this."

Prof. Mohan Ghuge, a candidate for the professor posts, said that he was not called for an interview even after applying in July-August. When he asks the college, he is told the selection committee has not been formed. According to him, the university and the institutions are causing delays in forming the committee and holding interviews.

Many questions remain. It is not known how many colleges have held interviews out of the advertisements published so far. Latest figures on how many of the 5,012 posts have been filled are also unavailable. Candidates are asking why interviews have not been held even three months after the advertisements, why the university is delaying the formation of selection committees, and whether the government will set a deadline for announcing the interview schedule.