Thrissur: Only 99 candidates have been appointed so far from the rank list of assistant professors for government colleges that came into effect during 2022–23, leaving several subjects without a single posting. Notably, no appointments have been made in the three language categories, namely Malayalam, Sociology and Urdu.

The Public Service Commission (PSC) rank list for Urdu was published in February 2023, followed by Malayalam in June and Sociology in August. Most of these lists are now nearing expiry. Candidates have also pointed out that no teachers have been appointed to new-generation courses introduced in 2020, and that statutory vacancies have yet to be reported to the PSC.

Despite repeated complaints, including to the Minister for Higher Education, no concrete action has been taken. The recruitment notification for assistant professors was first issued in December 2019 after an eight-year gap. Written examinations were held in November 2020, conducted in a descriptive format to identify the best-qualified candidates.

Meanwhile, 328 posts with workloads of less than 16 hours per week were eliminated, and candidates allege that many new or additional posts are being filled through redeployment instead of from the PSC rank list.

Candidates said they were informed by the Higher Education Minister’s office that appointments would soon be made to vacancies arising from retirements, transfers of principals, and the creation of new posts. However, they claim that certain officials are citing technical reasons to delay or block the implementation of this decision.