BARIPADA: Maharaja Sriram Chandra Bhanja Deo University is grappling with severe shortage of teaching staff across 17 departments.
Out of 98 sanctioned posts, 56 have remained vacant for a prolonged period due to the former BJD-led government’s alleged apathy and lack of initiative of the university authorities.
According to the government’s directives, each department should have at least six teaching posts to address the teaching crisis. However, continuing delay and changing rules from the Higher Education department have posed challenges for the university. This has forced the university to rely heavily on guest lecturers, which has affected the quality of education and caused resentment among students.
The shortage came to light when legislator Ganesh Behera raised the issue of teaching manpower recently.
University sources revealed three out of six sanctioned posts in the Botany department, two out of six in Biotechnology, one out of six in Chemistry, one out of six in Computer Application, three out of six in Economics, one out of six in Physics, one out of six in Zoology, four out of five in Santhali, two out of six in Anthropology and Tribal Studies, three out of six in WLBC, and six out of six in Business Administration are vacant.
Similarly, the Social Work, Mathematics, Education, and Integrated BEd and MEd departments each have six vacancies. Additionally, the Computer Science department has four out of six posts vacant, and the Odia department has one out of three posts vacant.
Former Senate members and retired university officials expressed discontent with the policies of the former BJD government, particularly a Gazette notification that hindered the appointment of both teaching and non-teaching staff across universities. Registrar Sahadev Samadhia acknowledged the staff shortage, stating that only 42 out of 98 sanctioned teaching posts are in place. To mitigate the crisis, guest lecturers are engaged. He assured the university is taking steps, as directed by the government, to fill the vacant posts.