Amend Varsity Act: Government to amend Odisha Universities Act, 2020 | Bhubaneswar News
Bhubaneswar: The state govt is in the process of amending the Odisha Universities (Amendment) Act, 2020, which will help remove the hurdles that had stalled recruitment of teachers for two years.
On Friday, higher education minister Suryabanshi Suraj informed the assembly that the process to amend the act has already started. He said a meeting was conducted with officials of the University Grants Commission (UGC) in New Delhi recently.
“We discussed with the UGC about the Act. Later, we prepared a draft proposal which will not affect the UGC regulations and appointment of teachers for state public universities,” Suraj said. The minister said a meeting was also held with chief minister Mohan Majhi. “We discussed the steps needed to start the teacher recruitment process. I assure the House that this process will happen in the state very soon,” Suraj added.
The previous BJD govt had introduced the Odisha Universities (Amendment) Act, 2020, by amending the Odisha Universities Act, 1989. It had repealed the senate system and the syndicate was reorganised for better functioning. However, it ran foul of UGC regulations. Under the regulations, academic staff in universities are picked by a duly constituted selection committee of the university concerned. But the amended Act gave recruitment power to the Odisha Public Service Commission (OPSC).
“The UGC regulations say members of search-cum-selection committee for vice-chancellors shall be persons of eminence in the sphere of higher education and shall not be connected in any manner with the university concerned. But the amended Act allowed a superannuated officer of the state govt. This clearly showed the govt wanted to intervene in the affairs of the universities,” said Siba Prasad Adhikary, former vice-chancellor of FM University, Balasore.
The 2020 amendment had created an uproar and reached the Supreme Court, which issued a stay order on May 20, 2022. More than 1,000 regular teaching posts are lying vacant in state public universities.
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