Even as a number of student agitations has taken place over the issue, the State Government is yet to appoint permanent faculty members in the prestigious Utkal Sangeet Mahavidyalay here.
The only college in the city for music, dance and drama was set up in 1964. It has 12 branches in vocal and instrumental music and dance comprising Odissi, Chhau along with subjects like English, Sanskrit, Odissi vocals, Hindustani vocals, Pakhwaj, and also offers courses in drama.
The college lacks sufficient faculty members as no recruitment has taken place for the permanent faculty positions that have fallen vacant as many professors have retired.
Even after inviting guest lecturers, many positions remain vacant in every department of the college. Sources said currently the total sanctioned lecturers in the college is 23, out of which only five regular lecturers are present in Odia, Sanskrit, Odishi vocal, Hindustani vocal and Odissi Pakhwaj departments, while rest of the departments are being run by guest faculties.
Each of the 12 departments requires at least two or three permanent teachers. The shortage has been reflecting upon the needs of the students. While it has 128 seats at the Plus III level, there are 268 seats at the Plus II level.
Recruitment of the faculty members is the look out of the State Government. It can recruit the professors through the Odisha Public Service Commission,” said an official of the college.
In October last year, students of the college had hit the streets protesting negligence and mismanagement by the college and demanded regularisation of the services of guest lecturers.
A month later, they locked the main gate of the Mahavidyalaya demanding reinstatement of 19 guest lecturers who had resigned as their services were not regularised despite several years of work. The agitation was called off after government assured students to solve their problems within a month.
However, no remedial measures have been taken so far, much to the disappointment of students.
Sushil Kumar Das, Director of the Culture Department, supervising the functioning of the college, said that 10 permanent teachers will soon be appointed for the college.
“A proposal in this regard was placed before the State Government by the college authorities recently and it has been approved. We have also given a notification to the Odisha Public Service Commission to initiate the recruitment process,” he said.