Bhubaneswar: The Higher Education Minister Suryabanshi Suraj informed the assembly on Friday that, the appointment of lecturers in the state will be done soon.
Members from both ruling and opposition parties in the assembly have voiced concerns regarding the filling of faculty positions in the state.
During a question raised by MLA Amar Nayak, members interrogated the minister about the appointment of chancellors in universities, the re-establishment of the senate, the filling of vacant faculty positions, and the amendment of university laws.
On Friday, BJP MLAs Tankadhar Tripathy, Durga Prasanna Nayak, Sanatan Bijuli, BJD MLA Ganeshwar Behera, and Congress MLAs Dasharathi Gomango, Tara Prasad Bahinipati posed questions on various issues in major universities and colleges. Responding, Higher Education Minister Suryabanshi Suraj stated, “Lecturers will be appointed in the state very soon. As the new government is only 80 days old, we are taking positive steps towards the appointment of teachers. Discussions with UGC authorities have been held to fill the posts, and a meeting was also conducted under the Chief Minister’s chairmanship.” He further mentioned in the assembly that there was extensive discussion on lecturer appointments in the meeting.
Moreover, the Minister informed that the state government plans to amend the Universities Amendment Act, of 2020, which includes the re-establishment of the Senate in universities. Currently, about 1200 faculty positions are vacant. MLA Tankdhar Tripathy, as an additional questioner, inquired about the government’s actions to address this issue. The minister replied that the previous government’s policy, as per the Universities Amendment Act, of 2020, was to fill these vacancies through OPSC.
The institution adhered to UGC regulations, which led to widespread protests and the case escalating to the Supreme Court. Consequently, the faculty recruitment process has been halted. Furthermore, the minister has confirmed that 2153 non-teaching positions are vacant across colleges and universities, with assurances that these vacancies will be filled shortly.
