IITs, IIMs, and other top universities have a leadership vacuum.
IITs’, Central Universities (CUs), IIMs, National Institutes of Technology (NITs), and Indian Institutes of Science Education and Research (IISERs) are some of the 130 top higher education institutions in India falling under the Ministry of Education (MOE). Currently, 14% of these institutions lack permanent heads. As per a detailed study by various journalists, the institutions are headed by Vice-Chancellors (V-Cs) and Directors on temporary or extended missions.
Snapshot of Interim Leadership
The study included 48 Central Universities, 23 IITs, 21 IIMs, 31 NITs, and 8 IISERs and found that 18 institutions of national interest are operating under the charge of interim heads. These consist of eight CUs, four IIMs, two IITs, three NITs, and one IISER. Interestingly, at least eight institutions — including IIM Calcutta, IIM Lucknow, IIM Shillong, NIT Srinagar, IISER Thiruvananthapuram, IGNOU, Sikkim University, and Rajiv Gandhi University — have not had permanent heads for more than a year.
Implications During NEP 2020 Implementation
The leadership crisis arrives at a moment when the union government is implementing reforms actively through the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020. Interim leaders, as per convention, avoid making significant policy or administrative reforms, which can actually slow down reform implementation, faculty recruitment, infrastructure construction, and new programs.
Parliamentary Committee’s Concern
The problem has been highlighted by the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Education, Women, Children, Youth and Sports. The committee, in its recent report on the Department of Higher Education’s 2025–26 grants, conveyed deep concern regarding the vacant top slots. “The committee is deeply pained to know that as of December 2024, up to ten Central Universities are running without regular VCs,” the report read, urging the Ministry to move quickly and firmly.
Appointment Process and Delays
The selection of heads in these institutions is a centrally managed process. For example, IIT Directors are selected by the IIT Council and need Presidential approval. IIM Directors are chosen by Boards of Governors, with final approval by the President as the Visitor. In the same vein, the President appoints V-Cs of Central Universities on recommendations from selection committees. These processes have increasingly experienced delays, and this has helped create the leadership vacuum.
Institutional Leadership Vacancies
Among IITs, IIT Kharagpur and IIT Hyderabad have no regular directors. IIM Calcutta, IIM Lucknow, IIM Shillong, and IIM Kashipur are temporarily headed by interim Directors. In Central Universities, IGNOU, Rajiv Gandhi University, Sikkim University, and Central University of Gujarat are some which are without permanent V-Cs. While NITs at Srinagar, Uttarakhand, and Andhra Pradesh remain under temporary heads.
Requirement for Immediate Action
As learning and administrative milestones hang in the balance, parties emphasize the expedience of filling these vacancies. These regular appointments guarantee institutional stability, strategic thinking, and answerability — the vital ingredients that hold the success key to the India higher education missions in international scenario.
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