Congress’ Narasingha Mishra Blasts Odisha Govt Over Huge Vacancies In Varsities & Colleges

Bhubaneswar: Taking a dig at the Odisha government over huge vacancies in teaching positions in educational institutions, senior Congress leader Narasingha Mishra on Wednesday said that it won’t be long before all varsities are closed in KBK region for want of teachers.

“Around 90% teachers post are vacant in Rajendra University in Balangir. There are no lecturers for the science stream at the Government Women’s College. The minister cited a stay order by the Supreme Court for its inability to recruit teaching staff to universities. But the apex court has only stayed the amendment to the University Act and not recruitment. As per the earlier norms, universities can continue to recruit staff. But the government is not keen to decentralise the process, thereby affecting education,” he told mediapersons.

Narasingha also questioned the outsourcing mechanism of the government. “How can you run universities with guest faculty? Who will conduct researches at the varsity in the absence of permanent teaching staff? It seems that government wants to close all universities in KBK region and deny education to all,” he alleged.

The same goes for the colleges in the district, he added.

Notably, Higher Education Minister Atanu Sabyasachi Nayak told the Assembly that 2,544 sanctioned teacher posts are lying vacant in public universities, government and aided colleges in Odisha.

Replying to a written question by Khandapada MLA Soumya Ranjan Patnaik, the Minister informed that 1,094 posts are vacant in public universities, 385 in government colleges and 1,065 in government-aided colleges. “Steps are being taken to fill the vacant teaching posts in public universities and government colleges in the state through the Odisha Public Service Commission (OPSC). The vacant posts in non-government aided colleges will be filled through the State Selection Board,” he said.

However, the minister later told the media that the requirement process in the public universities in Odisha was stalled due to a case pending in the SC. “The state government is taking steps for removal of the legal impediments in the recruitment process. As an interim measure, public universities have been allowed to recruit guest faculty,” Nayak said, adding that an advertisement for recruiting 1,065 lecturers in colleges was issued a few days ago.

The state government also recruited around 700 lecturers in government and aided colleges in the state recently.

On Tuesday, skill development minister Pritiranjan Gharai had informed about 394 vacancies in teacher posts against a sanctioned strength of 919 in different government engineering colleges and universities in the state.