65% teaching posts vacant in 17 varsities in state | Bhubaneswar News
Bhubaneswar: Over 1,300 permanent teaching posts are lying vacant in 17 state public universities in Odisha. To manage the situation, 963 guest faculty members have been engaged in these universities, higher education minister Suryabanshi Suraj told the assembly on Friday.
The minister, in his reply, said 696 teachers are working in 17 state public universities under the higher education department against 2,003 sanctioned permanent teaching posts. This means 65.3 per cent of teaching posts are vacant in these universities. The significant teacher shortage severely affects teaching, research, and extension work in the universities, said a senior professor from a state public university.
Similarly, 1,910 non-teaching permanent posts are vacant against 2,692 sanctioned posts in the 17 state public universities. These institutions are grappling with around 71 per cent of vacant non-teaching posts. Official work is being hampered due to acute shortage of non-teaching staff, said an official of the state public university.
According to the data provided by the minister, only 45 professors are working in these universities against 287 sanctioned posts. Eight universities do not have a single permanent professor. Out of 578 associate professor posts, 431 posts are vacant. Similarly, 634 out of 1,138 assistant professor posts need to be filled.
As of today, permanent posts are yet to be created for the Odisha State Open University (OSOU), Sambalpur. Because of this, the university does not have a permanent faculty member. The newly-created Odia University at Satyabadi has 21 sanctioned posts, but nobody has been appointed to these posts so far.
Other new universities, such as Khallikote Unitary University Berhampur (112 sanctioned posts), Dharanidhar University Keonjhar (97 posts), and Vikram Dev University Jeypore (111 posts), are yet to appoint a single teaching post against their sanctioned posts.
To handle the teaching work, the govt has appointed 963 guest faculty members against 53 professors, 60 associate professors , and 850 assistant professor posts. Retired university faculty members have also been engaged for this job.
Recruitment could not proceed after the issue of a stay order from the Supreme Court on May 20, 2022, in a case between the University Grants Commission (UGC) and the Odisha govt’s higher education department. The Odisha Universities Amendment Act, 2020, was challenged in court on the grounds that it violated the UGC Regulations, 2018, particularly regarding the selection of vice-chancellors and faculty members.
“Meanwhile, the state cabinet has passed the amended Odisha University Bill. It was tabled in the state assembly. After this amended Bill is passed in the assembly, we can fill all vacant posts in these universities,” said the higher education minister in his assembly reply.
The minister, in his reply, said 696 teachers are working in 17 state public universities under the higher education department against 2,003 sanctioned permanent teaching posts. This means 65.3 per cent of teaching posts are vacant in these universities. The significant teacher shortage severely affects teaching, research, and extension work in the universities, said a senior professor from a state public university.
Similarly, 1,910 non-teaching permanent posts are vacant against 2,692 sanctioned posts in the 17 state public universities. These institutions are grappling with around 71 per cent of vacant non-teaching posts. Official work is being hampered due to acute shortage of non-teaching staff, said an official of the state public university.
According to the data provided by the minister, only 45 professors are working in these universities against 287 sanctioned posts. Eight universities do not have a single permanent professor. Out of 578 associate professor posts, 431 posts are vacant. Similarly, 634 out of 1,138 assistant professor posts need to be filled.
As of today, permanent posts are yet to be created for the Odisha State Open University (OSOU), Sambalpur. Because of this, the university does not have a permanent faculty member. The newly-created Odia University at Satyabadi has 21 sanctioned posts, but nobody has been appointed to these posts so far.
Other new universities, such as Khallikote Unitary University Berhampur (112 sanctioned posts), Dharanidhar University Keonjhar (97 posts), and Vikram Dev University Jeypore (111 posts), are yet to appoint a single teaching post against their sanctioned posts.
To handle the teaching work, the govt has appointed 963 guest faculty members against 53 professors, 60 associate professors , and 850 assistant professor posts. Retired university faculty members have also been engaged for this job.
Recruitment could not proceed after the issue of a stay order from the Supreme Court on May 20, 2022, in a case between the University Grants Commission (UGC) and the Odisha govt’s higher education department. The Odisha Universities Amendment Act, 2020, was challenged in court on the grounds that it violated the UGC Regulations, 2018, particularly regarding the selection of vice-chancellors and faculty members.
“Meanwhile, the state cabinet has passed the amended Odisha University Bill. It was tabled in the state assembly. After this amended Bill is passed in the assembly, we can fill all vacant posts in these universities,” said the higher education minister in his assembly reply.
