Bhubaneswar: Two of state’s premier institutions for higher studies, Utkal University and Ravenshaw University, are presently hit by an acute shortage of teaching and non teaching staff. Responding to a question raised by Congress member Sofia Firdous, Higher Education (HE) Minister Suryabanshi Suraj informed the Assembly Friday that Ravenshaw University in Cuttack has 161 teaching posts vacant against the sanctioned strength of 267.
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Similarly, Utkal University has 133 such vacancies against the total of 238 positions. The minister said Utkal University has 708 non-teaching posts lying unoccupied against 897, while Ravenshaw University has 195 against 212 sanctioned posts. Overall, the minister said, out of the 2,027 teaching posts in 17 state public universities, 1,353 are presently lying vacant (66.74 per cent). These institutions have been functioning with 674 teachers. Among the major vacancies in teaching posts in public universities, 109 are unoccupied in Dharanidhar University against 114 sanctioned positions, Rajendra University (106 against 126 total posts), Rama Devi Women’s University (78 against 137 posts) and Berhampur University (95 out of 182). Khallikote Unitary University, Vikram Dev University, MS Law University, OSOU and Odia University have all teaching posts vacant. The universities have 2,879 sanctioned non-teaching positions. “Of it, 2,081 (72.28 per cent) are lying unoccupied and 798 are filled,” the minister said. Major varsities where non-teaching posts are vacant include Berhampur University (182 vacancies out of 327 sanctioned posts), Sambalpur University (158 out of total 314) and Dharanidhar University (107 out of 131 sanctioned posts), Suryabanshi said.
