Bhubaneswar, Sept. 11: Higher education minister Ananta Das admitted that teaching in seven state universities had been affected due to a large number of vacancies in these institutes.

He said 405 posts of professors, associate professors and assistant professors were lying vacant out of the sanctioned strength of 986.

The Ravenshaw University has the highest number of vacancies, followed by Utkal University and Berhampur University.

In Ravenshaw, the number of vacancies is 166, out of a total strength of 267. In Utkal University, out of 257 teaching posts, 89 are vacant and the Berhampur University has 70 vacancies out of sanctioned strength of 156.

The number of vacant posts at other universities is: Sambalpur University (42 out of sanctioned strength of 153), Sri Jagannath Sanskrit University (21 as against the sanctioned strength of 45), Fakir Mohan University (9 out of total strength of 57) and North Odisha University (8 out of 51).

In recent months, Rama Devi Women's College in Bhubaneswar, Gangadhar Meher Autonomous College and Khallikote Autonomous College have been upgraded to universities. The existing teachers have been inducted into the new universities. Rama Devi Women's College (now Rama Devi Women's University) has eight vacancies and Gangadhar Meher Autonomous College (now Gangadhar Meher University) has 48 vacancies and there are 25 vacancies in Khallikote Autonomous College.

Though it has no direct bearing on the academics, 1,167 non-teaching posts are lying vacant in the above seven universities as against the total sanctioned strength of 2,541.

Apart from these state universities, the number of vacancies in 17 government autonomous colleges across the state is also discouraging. In these colleges, 379 out of total 1,043 sanctioned teaching posts are lying vacant.

'It's time that state universities improve the quality of education and fill up vacancies. The authorities must understand the importance of good teachers and invest in them,' said academic Santosh Tripathy.

'We are taking steps to fill up all vacancies shortly,' the minister said.