BHUBANESWAR: The Odisha State Public Universities (Reservation in Teachers’ Cadre) Act 2026 came into effect in the state from Monday following Governor Hari Babu Kambhampati’s assent.
Officials of the Higher Education department said the move will pave way for greater representation of Scheduled Tribes (STs), Scheduled Castes (SCs) and Socially and Educationally Backward Classes (SEBCs) across state universities.
The Act was enacted after the Odisha State Public Universities (Reservation in Teachers’ Cadre) Bill, 2026 was passed in the State Assembly following an extensive discussion that continued late into the night on March 31.
Terming it a landmark initiative, Higher Education minister Suryabanshi Suraj said the new legislation will ensure adequate representation of ST, SC and SEBC communities in the higher education, marking a significant step in reforming the sector in Odisha.
“The Act introduces a major shift in the reservation system by treating each university as a single unit for the purpose of implementing reservation in faculty recruitment. This replaces the earlier department-wise reservation system,” he said.
Under the new framework, Suraj said reservation will be applied in the direct recruitment of faculty positions, including professors, associate professors and assistant professors, ensuring equitable representation of reserved categories across universities.
The minister further informed that with implementation of the Odisha Universities (Amendment) Act, 2024 and the Odisha State Public Universities (Reservation in Teachers’ Cadre) Act, 2026, the process of filling up vacant teaching positions in state public universities will be expedited.
“Many long-vacant vice-chancellor posts in state public universities have already been filled recently, with appointments made to 14 universities. With the appointment of new V-Cs, the state universities will now be able to focus more on delivering quality and research-oriented higher education,” he said.