Bhubaneswar: As many as 748 vacant posts of teachers and 1,243 of non-teaching staff members have hit functioning of the 10 state-run universities, the state government said on Saturday.

Besides no teaching and non-teaching staff member has been appointed in the Odisha State Open University, which is under control of the higher education department.

Higher education minister Ananta Das admitted that 127 out of total 197 posts of professors, 231 out of 393 posts of associate professors and 390 out of 785 posts of assistant professors were lying vacant in 10 state universities. Apart from this, 1,243 out of total 2,703 non-teaching posts in these institutions are yet to be filled up, said Das.

These 10 state varsities are the Utkal University, Berhampur University, Sambalpur University, Ravenshaw University, North Odisha University, Shree Jagannath Sanskrit University, Rama Devi Women's University, Khallikote University, Gangadhar Meher University and the Fakir Mohan University.

The Utkal University, the state's premier higher education institution, accounts for the highest number of vacancies of professors (28) as against the sanctioned strength of 47. So far as associate professors are concerned, half of the sanctioned 76 posts in the varsity are lying vacant.

However, the Ravenshaw University tops the list of vacancies of assistant professors (103 out of 167), followed by the newly upgraded Gangadhar Meher University, which has all the sanctioned posts of assistant professors (86), professors (23) and associate professors (35) lying vacant.

In the Rama Devi Women's University, the first exclusive varsity for women in Odisha, the vacancy position is equally precarious. While 68 out of 87 posts of assistant professors are yet to be filled up, nine out of 13 posts of professors are awaiting appointments. Similarly, 28 out of 38 posts of associate professors are lying vacant. In the newly opened Khallikote University, the position is no better - five out of six professor posts are lying vacant.

The vacancy position in the non-teaching category is even more alarming - the highest number of 557 vacancies being in the Utkal University followed by 282 in Sambalpur, 176 in Berhampur, 128 in Ravenshaw, 50 in North Odisha, 27 in Shree Jagannath Sanskrit University and 23 in the Fakir Mohan University.

Das said: "The universities had been instructed to fill up vacancies against the sanctioned posts in 2017. However, then they were asked to slow down the teacher recruitment process on the directions of the UGC."

"Similarly, the proposals related to the creation, abolition and filling up of the non-teaching posts are under the active consideration of the state finance department," he said.

Educator Pritish Acharya said: "There seems to be an impression that infrastructure is more important than manpower. But actually, it is the other way round. Most of our universities lack manpower, as a result of which our students are unable to do well at the all-India level."