BERHAMPUR: Khallikote Autonomous College, one of the oldest educational institutions of Odisha, has just 29 faculty members for 4,000 students against the requirement of 88.
Faculty crisis will further worsen with the retirement of 11 lecturers this year. While two faculty members retired on July 31, one will retire by end of this month and tenure of eight more faculty members ends by December, said Principal of the college, PC Pradhan.
There are 17 departments in the college and this academic session, there has been no admission in Statistics, Hindi and Urdu departments which do not have a single faculty member. When it comes to non-teaching staff, there are only 80 including Class III and IV employees against the sanctioned strength of 180. Pradhan said owing to the shortcomings, there is a possibility of the college losing its autonomous status the validity of which had ended in May.
College was granted autonomous status in 1990 and it is renewed every five years. He said a team of University Grants Commission is scheduled to visit the college to review facilities for grant of autonomous status in a month but before that the vacant positions need to be fulfilled failing which, the college may lose the status.