Bhubaneswar: The Odisha Universities (Amendment) Bill, 2024, passed by the assembly on Thursday, will eliminate state govt interference in the selection of vice-chancellors and faculty members and other matters. Experts said this amendment will help overcome pending court cases and resume recruitment in state public universities.
The bill was passed at 4:30 am after a 12-hour debate. The new bill will solve the logjam in the appointment of vice-chancellors and recruitment of permanent faculty members in state public universities under the jurisdiction of the higher education department.
Over 1,300 permanent teaching posts (65.3 per cent of sanctioned posts) are lying vacant in 17 state public universities of Odisha due to a stay order from the Supreme Court on May 20, 2022, in a case between the 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.
“The significant teacher shortage is severely affecting teaching, research, and extension work at the universities. Students, scholars, and university authorities are directly facing difficulties. With this new bill, all these problems will be solved. As the new bill followed the UGC guidelines in faculty recruitment and VC appointment, the UGC may get convinced,” said Siba Prasad Adhikary, former vice-chancellor of Fakir Mohan University, Balasore.
As per the UGC regulations, the academic staff in universities are picked by a duly constituted selection committee of the university concerned. However, the Odisha Universities (Amendment) Act, 2020, gives such recruitment power to the Odisha Public Service Commission (OPSC). The new amended bill has completely changed this clause. Instead of the OPSC or any govt agency, a selection committee will be formed by following UGC guidelines. This committee will be chaired by the vice-chancellor of the university or his/her nominee.
This faculty selection committee will include an academician not below the rank of professor nominated by the chancellor. It will have three subject experts selected by the VC from a panel of names recommended by the syndicate. Others will include the dean of the faculty or head of the department, along with an academician from ST/SC/OBC/women/minority/PWD as per the candidate present, to be nominated by the VC. Four members shall constitute a quorum, in which two subject expert members and one academician nominated by the chancellor are a must. “Faculty of the university will make advertisement of the vacancies through the registrar as and when required and at least once in a year,” read the new bill.
UGC had a problem with VC appointment in 2020 amendment Act. A three-member committee will be formed for the appointment of VC for a university. The Odisha Universities (Amendment) Act, 2020, states that one of the three members will be a state govt nominee. This created a hue and cry in the state, and academicians objected to the state’s interference in the selection of the VC of a university.
However, the newly amended act proposes that one member of the VC selection committee will be nominated by the syndicate of the concerned university instead of the state govt’s nominee. The other two members will be nominated by the University Grants Commission (UGC) and the chancellor of the state public universities, respectively. The chancellor’s nominee will be the chairperson of the committee. This nominee will be selected from a panel of three eminent academicians recommended by the state govt. The above search committee shall decide on a panel of members for the VC post, whose credentials shall be verified by the state govt through vigilance clearance.