India aspires to become a knowledge economy, a global education hub and a developed nation. Yet a disturbing contradiction exists within its higher-education system: the country produces highly educated scholars while, in many institutions, failing to provide them with the professional dignity, fair compensation and working conditions they deserve. PhDs, D.Litt. and D.Sc. holders represent years of intellectual investment, but many academics continue to face low remuneration, excessive workloads, insecure employment and relentless institutional pressure.
This is not simply an employment problem. It is a national problem. A PhD is not merely another certificate. It represents years of specialized study, original research, intellectual discipline and contribution to knowledge. D.Litt. and D.Sc. degrees signify even higher levels of scholarly achievement. When individuals with such qualifications are employed on inadequate salaries while being expected to perform the responsibilities of teachers, researchers, administrators, admission coordinators and institutional promoters, the system is effectively undervaluing its own intellectual capital.
India cannot build a knowledge economy by treating knowledge creators as cheap labour. The situation is particularly concerning in parts of the private higher-education sector. Private institutions have played an important role in expanding access to higher education, but expansion should never become an excuse for exploiting faculty. Universities and colleges need qualified teachers to maintain academic standards, obtain accreditation, conduct research and educate students. If these institutions depend on highly qualified faculty, they must also be prepared to compensate and respect them appropriately.
The problem is not that faculty should be exempt from accountability. Professors must be evaluated. They should maintain teaching standards, conduct meaningful research, mentor students and contribute to institutional development. But accountability must not become exploitation. There is a fundamental difference between productive academic responsibility and unreasonable extraction of labour.
When a professor is expected to teach a full workload, publish research, supervise students, prepare extensive documentation, participate in admissions, attend meetings, perform administrative duties and remain available beyond working hours—all while receiving inadequate compensation—the institution is not necessarily creating excellence. It may simply be extracting maximum labour from minimum resources.
Academic institutions should ask themselves a difficult question: Are we building universities, or are we merely building systems that maximize faculty output at the lowest possible cost? The answer matters because the consequences extend far beyond faculty members.
An exhausted and financially insecure professor cannot be expected to continuously produce innovative research and inspiring teaching. Research requires time for reading, experimentation, analysis, writing and collaboration. Innovation requires intellectual freedom. Excellent teaching requires preparation and engagement with students. When academics are overloaded with administrative and commercial responsibilities, these essential activities suffer.
Ultimately, students pay the price. India’s higher-education system also risks losing talented people. Young scholars who spend years earning doctoral degrees may enter academia with enthusiasm but encounter temporary appointments, uncertain careers, modest salaries and excessive workloads. Some eventually leave teaching. Others seek opportunities overseas or move into industries where their skills receive greater recognition.
This creates a dangerous paradox: India invests in producing skilled human capital and then fails to retain it.
The country cannot afford such waste. There is also a cultural problem. In some institutions, faculty members are increasingly treated as targets rather than professionals. Pressure for admissions, revenue generation, documentation, rankings and institutional visibility can overshadow the fundamental purpose of higher education. Teachers should not be reduced to admission agents, sales representatives, fundraising personnel or clerical employees.
A university exists first and foremost to create and disseminate knowledge. Faculty members should therefore be given clearly defined responsibilities, reasonable workloads and transparent employment conditions. Additional responsibilities should receive appropriate recognition. Performance evaluation should be based on meaningful academic indicators rather than arbitrary pressure. Salary structures should consider qualifications, experience, teaching responsibilities, research contributions and institutional roles.
The dignity of academic labour must become a central component of higher-education policy. Regulatory bodies and governing authorities also have a role to play. Compliance should not focus exclusively on infrastructure, buildings, websites and documentation. The quality of faculty employment should also receive serious attention. Institutions that claim academic excellence should demonstrate that their teachers are adequately supported. World-class universities cannot be built on third-class employment conditions.
India’s ambition under Viksit Bharat requires a transformation in how intellectual labour is valued. Artificial intelligence, digital infrastructure, modern laboratories and new educational technologies are important, but technology cannot replace the fundamental role of teachers and researchers. Human beings create ideas, formulate questions, interpret evidence and inspire the next generation. A professor is therefore not an expense to be minimized. A professor is an investment in national development.
India should move from an exploitation model to an investment model in higher education. Instead of asking how much work can be extracted from a highly qualified academic, institutions should ask what environment will enable that academic to produce the greatest educational and research impact. Fair remuneration is not charity. It is recognition of professional value.
Respect for faculty is not a luxury. It is a prerequisite for academic excellence.
The time has come to end the culture of academic exploitation. Respect qualifications. Pay fairly. Reduce unreasonable workloads. Protect academic dignity. Reward excellence. India’s brilliant minds have spent years building their knowledge. The nation must now build an academic system worthy of them. A country that wants world-class universities must first learn to treat its professors as world-class professionals—not cheap labour.
