Odisha Governor directs filling of teaching posts amid 70% vacancy in public universities

With 70% teachers’ posts lying vacant in State-run universities across Odisha, Governor Hari Babu Kambhampati, who is also Chancellor of the Universities, on Saturday (October 3, 2026) directed to initiate the recruitment process for vacant teaching posts by the first week of November and complete it by the end of the month.

Speaking at a meeting on the ongoing recruitment of teaching faculty in State public universities at Lok Bhavan premises here, Mr. Kambhampati said, “filling vacant teaching posts was the next major challenge after the appointment of Vice-Chancellors in State universities.”

It is to be mentioned that Vice-Chancellors of 14 Universities were appointed on a single day after he assumed office as Governor.

“Merit should be the priority in the appointment of teaching faculty. Quality and merit cannot be compromised,” Mr. Kambhampati said, stressing the need to recruit the best available faculty.

“All eligible applicants be called for interviews instead of extensive shortlisting and scrutiny at the initial stage. Such a process would ensure that no eligible candidate felt excluded while giving interview panels a wider pool of candidates to choose from,” he said.

The Mohan Charan Majhi Government recently informed Odisha Legislative Assembly that as against 2,081 sanctioned posts, 1,441 positions were lying vacant in 17 public universities across the State. To deal with large-scale vacancies, as many as 825 guest faculties have been engaged.

Utkal University, one of the largest universities in Odisha, has about 57.78% (141) of total 244 sanctioned posts of Professor, Associate Professor and Assistant Professors vacant.

Ravenshaw University, oldest of all universities, has 267 sanctioned posts of which 167 posts were lying vacant. As per the information tabled in State Assembly, Madhusudan Law University, Odisha State Open University and Khalikote Unitary University are also yet to fill up vacant posts permanently. In Dharanidhar University, located in home constituency of Odisha CM, of the 128 sanctioned posts, 106 posts are empty. The university is managing academic activities with help of 68 guest faculties.

Mr. Kambhampati also sought details from universities pursuing accreditation and suggested a common tenure for vice-chancellors across public universities. “There are some universities where the vice-chancellor has a three-year tenure and some have four years. There should be a common tenure,” he said.