Tripura government has postponed the operationalisation of the proposed Technical University and Women’s University by one academic year due to infrastructure and faculty shortages. Higher Education Minister Kishor Barman assured both universities will begin admissions and academic activities from the next academic session.
The Tripura government has postponed the operationalisation of the proposed Technical University and Women’s University by one academic year, citing academic scheduling as the immediate reason, while officials and Higher Education Department sources pointed to inadequate infrastructure and shortages of teaching staff as the key factors behind the delay.
The announcement marks a shift from the state government’s earlier commitment that three new universities — the Medical University, Technical University and Women’s University — would begin functioning during the current academic year after the necessary legislation was passed by the Tripura Legislative Assembly.
Higher Education Minister Kishor Barman, while addressing a departmental review meeting on Wednesday, confirmed that both the Technical University and the Women’s University would commence admissions and academic activities from the next academic session.
“The admission process for postgraduate courses has already been completed. Therefore, the Technical University and the Women’s University will start full-fledged admissions and academic activities from the next academic year,” the minister said.
However, the minister did not elaborate on the reasons for postponing the operationalisation of the two universities.
According to sources in the Higher Education Department, the government has yet to complete essential infrastructure required for the institutions. These include academic buildings, classrooms, laboratories, administrative facilities and the recruitment of an adequate number of faculty members. Officials indicated that while the policy framework and legislative process have been completed, institutional readiness remains a significant challenge.
Sources further stated that the delay also reflects the practical difficulties of implementing reforms under the National Education Policy (NEP) before ensuring sufficient academic infrastructure and human resources.
The postponement is expected to have a considerable impact on students, particularly those enrolled at Government Women’s College, Agartala, which had been identified for conversion into the proposed Women’s University.
Many students who had planned to pursue postgraduate studies at the new institution now face uncertainty. Some may have to seek admission to private universities where tuition fees are substantially higher than those charged by government institutions.
Several students and parents have expressed disappointment over the decision. They alleged that they did not appear for the Common University Entrance Test for Postgraduate Programmes (CUET-PG), relying on the government’s earlier assurance that postgraduate courses would begin at the proposed Women’s University during the current academic year.
As a result, many aspiring postgraduate students now have limited options, with available seats at Tripura University and Maharaja Bir Bikram (MBB) University already constrained in several academic disciplines.
Departmental sources revealed that the Central Government had approved the establishment of both universities nearly two years ago. Under the proposal, Government Women’s College was to be upgraded into a full-fledged Women’s University, while the Tripura Institute of Technology (TIT), Agartala, was planned to be transformed into a dedicated Technical University.
The Higher Education Department had also initiated preparatory steps for appointing Vice-Chancellors and Registrars for the two universities. Plans were further drawn up for recruiting Professors, Associate Professors, Assistant Professors and senior administrative officers to ensure smooth academic functioning.
However, with the operationalisation now deferred, the recruitment process for these key academic and administrative positions has also been delayed.
Officials acknowledged that although financial support from the Central Government is available for the proposed universities, the State Government has yet to complete the infrastructure development and faculty appointments necessary to make the institutions fully functional.
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Addressing the broader issue of faculty shortages, Minister Kishor Barman said the government would soon appoint 200 Assistant Professors after receiving the list of selected candidates from the Tripura Public Service Commission (TPSC). He also informed that recruitment for another 201 Assistant Professors in government general degree colleges is currently underway.
The government believes these appointments will strengthen higher education institutions across the state and help address the persistent shortage of qualified teaching staff. Officials expressed confidence that once infrastructure development and faculty recruitment are completed, both the Technical University and Women’s University will begin functioning from the next academic session, providing greater educational opportunities for students across Tripura.
