Bhubaneswar, May 4: Utkal University authorities have written to the state government to fill up the large number of vacancies in teaching as well as non-teaching posts, at the earliest.
University registrar in-charge D.N. Jena said 89 teaching and 277 non-teaching posts were lying vacant at present.
“We discussed this issue at a recent meeting with higher education secretary Aparajita Sarangi, who is considering our proposal for filling up the empty posts,” said Jena.
Among the 89 unfilled teaching posts, the vacancy positions for professors stands at 20. Similarly, there are sanctioned positions for 27 readers and 42 lecturers that need to be filled up.
“The lack of adequate number of teachers has affected our studies. Our courses are not completed on time and we have to depend on coaching classes or notes from our seniors to score decent marks in exams,” said a student of psychology department, which does not have a single lecturer.
The situation becomes worse when any one of the faculty members remains absent.
“As a result, classes are called off. Not just academics, even other official work of the university has suffered as there are not enough peons to deliver important notices from the offices of PG Council chairman and vice-chancellor,” said students’ union president and final-year student of personnel management and industrial relations Tanmaya Swain.
University officials said commerce and public administration were the only two of the 30 postgraduate departments, which were adequately staffed.
“As a result of the insufficient faculty strength, some teachers are overburdened and as a result, they become indifferent to their work,” said an official.
Besides, important administrative posts, including that of the registrar, deputy registrar, director of students’ welfare, development officer and personal assistant to vice-chancellor, are also not occupied. Jena said the recruitment process for the vacant posts would begin when the university gets the go-ahead from the government. “As soon as that happens, we would publish a notice. The appointments will be done in a transparent manner, in accordance with the rules of the
Odisha University Recruitment Policy and University Grants Commission. This process would take at least a month,” said Jena.
Annual day
The university students’ union is all set to celebrate its annual function on Saturday evening to be attended by Union health minister Ghulam Nabi Azad and Congress affairs (Odisha) in-charge Jagdish Tytler.
The event will feature a cultural programme by the students, which will be followed by distribution of prizes to the winners in various competitions organised in the past by the union.
