Sambalpur: Five teachers, including the principal, are managing the Dr Parshuram Mishra Institute of Advanced Study in Education in the town against the sanctioned strength of 27.

Against the sanction posts of three professors, six readers and 18 lecturers, the institute has at present only four readers and a principal, who has joined recently.

The teaching staff members are managing the two-year BEd, two-year MEd and one-year MPhil classes. The present strength of the college is 100 in BEd, 24 in MEd and 12 in MPhil courses.

Being the oldest and second biggest government college of the state after the Radhanath Training College, Cuttack, this training institution attracts students from all over the state, especially from the remote corners of west Odisha.

The staff crunch has almost crippled the college, where only 24 students have taken admission in MEd courses against 50 seats. "Similarly, only six students are doing MPhil here against the sanction strength of 12," said one of the staff members, who did not wish to be quoted.

The acting principal, N. Badpanda who retired on June 30, had asked the authorities several times to address the issue. Sambalpur MLA Raseswari Panigrahi, too, had raised it in the Assembly through questions and debate. Yet, nothing substantial has happened.

There is no teachers to take classes on yoga and the information-communication teaching (computer) special papers.

Local members of the Patanjali Yoga Samiti are managing the yoga classes. But in the computer subject, there is no teacher and the students are managing on their own.

During the practical classes conducted in the high schools, normally a lecturer is supposed to guide the students. But again, as there is no lecturer, the students are managing themselves.

Problems are also in the non-teaching sections. Only 23 staff members are managing hostels, gardening, library and the administrative work. Ten posts of Class IV have been lying vacant for years, said an employee.

Some students complained that they had not been supplied with new books after introduction of the new course from the previous academic session.

The condition of hostels both for boys and girls are also left in a bad condition. A portion of the boys' hostel has been declared as "unsafe" by the public works department, but students are staying there as there is no alternative. As of now, around seven students are staying in a four-seat room.