Premier Indian Management Institutes Delay Faculty Reservation Rosters

Nearly a year after the education ministry asked Indian Institutes of Management to prepare and submit reservation rosters for faculty and non-teaching roles, several premier management schools are still finishing the exercise. Official documents show that eight IIMs were yet to provide category-wise sanctioned-position details by May 2026, while draft rosters were pending from ten institutes.

Vacancies and Challenges

Data from RTI responses across nine IIMs revealed that 58.6 percent of sanctioned OBC faculty positions, 55.9 percent of SC positions, 79.6 percent of ST positions, and 77.6 percent of EWS positions remain vacant. Officials flagged inherent challenges in finding suitable candidates during the first Coordination Forum of IIMs meeting in September 2025. IIM Indore director Prof Himanshu Rai stated that a long-term solution involves encouraging students from under-represented groups to pursue doctoral studies and expanding post-doctoral training. IIM Lucknow director Prof MP Gupta noted that while reservation policies must be implemented, vacancies persist due to a lack of suitable candidates.

Solutions and Context

To address these gaps, the forum suggested using post-doctoral fellowships to groom potential candidates into faculty members, supporting candidates at newer institutes with training and scholarships, and allowing newer IIMs to temporarily engage senior faculty from older institutes. Under the Indian Institute of Management Act of 2017, the IIM forum serves as an advisory body rather than a binding council.

Context

Reservation policies in Indian higher education institutions aim to ensure adequate representation for Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes, Other Backward Classes, and Economically Weaker Sections among academic and administrative staff. Implementing these policies across autonomous institutions often requires balancing statutory requirements with specialized faculty qualification standards.