Chennai: The results of the Assistant Professor recruitment examination conducted by the Teachers Recruitment Board (TRB) have been delayed, allegedly due to a financial crunch faced by the Tamil Nadu government, sources said.

The Directorate of College Education under the Higher Education Department oversees 175 government arts and science colleges with around 15,000 sanctioned posts. Of these, only 4,711 posts are filled by permanent faculty, while over 8,000 honorary lecturers work on a consolidated pay of Rs 25,000.

In October last year, the TRB issued a notification to fill 2,708 vacancies across 48 subjects, cancelling an earlier 2019 notification for 2,331 posts. The examination was held on December 27, with 42,064 candidates appearing.

Though the provisional answer key was released last month and results were expected in January, they are yet to be announced. Candidates have urged the government to publish the results and issue appointment orders at the earliest.