Odisha Governor sets November deadline to fill university teaching vacancies
Odisha Governor Hari Babu Kambhampati has directed State-run universities to begin recruiting for vacant teaching posts by the first week of November and complete the process by month-end. The direction follows the disclosure that 1,441 of 2,081 sanctioned posts across 17 public universities remain vacant.
Odisha Governor Hari Babu Kambhampati has directed State-run universities to begin recruitment for vacant teaching posts by the first week of November and complete the process by the end of that month. Mr. Kambhampati is also Chancellor of the universities.
Speaking at a meeting on faculty recruitment at Lok Bhavan in Bhubaneswar on October 3, the Governor described filling teaching vacancies as the next major challenge after the appointment of vice-chancellors. He said merit must remain the priority and that quality should not be compromised. Mr.
Kambhampati also advised universities to call all eligible applicants for interviews rather than carrying out extensive shortlisting and scrutiny at the initial stage. He said this would prevent eligible candidates from being excluded and give interview panels a wider pool from which to select. The Odisha Government recently informed the State Legislative Assembly that 1,441 of 2,081 sanctioned teaching posts in 17 public universities were vacant.
To address the shortage, universities have engaged 825 guest faculty members. The vacancies vary among institutions. Utkal University has 141 vacant posts out of 244 sanctioned positions for professors, associate professors and assistant professors, representing about 57.78%.
Ravenshaw University has 167 vacancies among 267 sanctioned posts. Madhusudan Law University, Odisha State Open University and Khalikote Unitary University have not permanently filled their vacant posts, according to the Assembly information. At Dharanidhar University, 106 of 128 sanctioned posts are vacant, with academic work being supported by 68 guest faculty members.
The Governor also sought details from universities pursuing accreditation and proposed a common tenure for vice-chancellors. He noted that some universities have three-year vice-chancellor tenures while others have four-year terms. Fourteen university vice-chancellors were appointed on a single day after he assumed office, the report said.
This independently written report is based on information supplied by the named publisher. Vertrix News has not independently verified the source report.