Prafulla Ghadei (third from left), along with MPs Sidhant Mohapatra, Pinaki Mishra and PK Panigrahi, release the university tabloid The Bhanja Bihar Reporter at Berhampur University on Sunday. Picture by Gopal Krishna Reddy

Berhampur, Jan. 2: Finance minister Prafulla Chandra Ghadei today said there was need to establish more universities in the state as Orissa was woefully lacking in higher education institutions.

Addressing the 45th Foundation Day celebrations of Berhampur University today, Ghadei said: “The Knowledge Commission has recommended establishing 1,500 new universities in our country. The Union human resources development ministry has taken steps to establish 800 such universities. There are, however, only nine such universities in Orissa and three in the private; numbers that are inadequate,” he said.

He added that the state must brace to meet the global challenges in education. “Qualitative development in education is a must for our state.”

Local MP Sidhant Mahapatra called upon experts in the marine science department of Berhampur University to find a way out and help obtain environmental clearance for the Gopalpur port project.

Gopalpur MLA Pradip Panigrahi and Berhampur legislator Ramesh Chandra Chyau Patnaik, meanwhile, urged meritorious students to come forward and lead the student community.

Vice-chancellor of Berhampur University Jayant Kumar Mohapatra, who stressed on the need for qualitative education, said that while the amount of government grants had decreased considerably, university expenditure was rising. “We are being forced to revise the fee structure and are trying to mobilise resources from self-financing courses and distant education centres. We must find out a way to deal with the situation,” he said.

Berhampur University was established on January 2, 1967, with 11 colleges. The number of affiliated colleges under the jurisdiction of Berhampur University has now risen to 131 with a total of 4,586 students attending the colleges.