Tech institutes in Odisha face huge shortage of faculty

The State government-run technical universities and colleges are facing huge faculty shortage with around 63 per cent (pc) of professor posts lying vacant.
Odisha Skill Development and Technical Education Minister Premananda Nayak
Odisha Skill Development and Technical Education Minister Premananda Nayak

BHUBANESWAR:  The State government-run technical universities and colleges are facing huge faculty shortage with around 63 per cent (pc) of professor posts lying vacant.

Replying to a question of BJD MLA Soumya Ranjan Patnaik, Minister of Skill Development and Technical Education Premananda Nayak said 356 teaching staff out of 901 sanctioned posts are lying vacant in two technical universities and five engineering colleges.

These institutions are Biju Patnaik University of Technology at Rourkela, VSSUT at Burla, College of Engineering and Technology (CET), Bhubaneswar, Parala Maharaja Engineering College (PMEC), Berhampur, Government Colleges of Engineering in Keonjhar and Kalahandi and Indira Gandhi Institute of Technology (IGIT), Saranga.

The sanctioned strength of professors in these institutes are 107 and the persons in position is only 40 leaving 67 posts vacant. Of the 45 sanctioned posts of professor in VSSUT, 22 posts are vacant. In BPUT, only one professor is in position leaving four posts vacant. 

The Minister said only 6 professors are in position in CET with a sanctioned post of 22. The GEC at Keonjhar and Kalahandi are being managed by one professor each where the sanctioned strength are 6 and 7 respectively. The vacancy position in IGIT is 9 out of 15 while it is 5 out of 7 in PMEC. 

These institutes are facing a shortage of 58 pc associate professors. While the sanctioned strength of associate professors is 267, only 156 persons are in position.

All the institutes are managing the show with a skeleton staff strength. In BPUT, 13 posts of associate professor are lying vacant against the sanctioned strength of 15. Only 2 teachers are in position.

Though the assistant professors in position are no better, it is manageable. The number of vacancies is 133 against the sanctioned strength of 527. In written reply, the Minister said all the 15 posts of instructor in GCE, Keonjhar are lying vacant. In IGIT and VSSUT, the vacancy position is 9 and 7 respectively.

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