Post News Network
Bhubaneswar, March 20: Opposition members from the Congress and BJP Friday attacked the state government in the Assembly over the degrading quality of higher education, acute shortage of lecturers and irregularities in the process of forming college management committees in the state.
“Large-scale vacancies coupled with poor facilities and infrastructure in various colleges and universities have resulted in the deterioration of higher education the state,” said Congress legislator Tara Prasad Bahinipati, while bringing an adjournment motion notice in this regard during zero hour.
“Several posts of professor and lecturer are lying vacant at colleges in Koraput, Bolangir, Kalahandi and many other districts. Such posts are also vacant in large numbers in various women’s colleges across the state,” said the Congress MLA. “Irregularities have also been found in the formation of college management committees, in which the ruling party candidates and MLAs are being nominated as the committee’s presidents,” Bahinipati added.
Another Congress MLA Chiranjib Biswal said up to 40 per cent of teaching posts are vacant in universities and colleges of the state, as per CAG reports. BJP member Pradip Purohit meanwhile said the government has failed to utilise its funds properly to improve higher education.
Responding to the Opposition, higher education minister Pradeep Panigrahi said the government has made budget provision of `121 crore for upgrading university infrastructure. A further `123 crore will be spent under RUSA to develop college infrastructure, Panigrahi added.
“Steps have been taken to appoint 225 professors in seven universities last year, and this year too, the government has sought to fill 201 more such posts,” the minister said.
“A total of 1,750 lecturer posts will be filled in various government-aided colleges through SSB,” the minister said, adding that the government always ensured transparency in the appoinment of college management committees.