Odisha Governor Mandates Rapid Hiring Amidst 70% University Teaching Vacancies
Odisha Governor Mandates Rapid Hiring Amidst 70% University Teaching Vacancies
Major push for education in Odisha! Governor Kambhampati orders swift recruitment to fill 70% vacant university teaching posts by month-end. Quality and merit are key priorities for thousands of new hires.
Bhubaneswar is buzzing with news from the education sector as Odisha Governor Hari Babu Kambhampati has issued a crucial directive to address the staggering 70% vacancy rate in teaching positions across the state's public universities. In a bold move, the Governor, who also serves as the Chancellor of these universities, has mandated that the recruitment process for these vacant posts must kick off by the first week of November and be completed by the end of the same month.
This significant announcement was made during a meeting held on Saturday (October 3, 2026) at the Lok Bhavan premises, focusing on the ongoing faculty recruitment. Governor Kambhampati emphasized that filling these numerous teaching roles represents the "next major challenge" for the state's higher education system, following the recent appointment of Vice-Chancellors for 14 universities under his tenure.
A cornerstone of the Governor's directive is the unwavering focus on merit and quality.
Merit should be the priority in the appointment of teaching faculty. Quality and merit cannot be compromised,
he stated.
To ensure the best possible candidates are selected, he urged for a broad and inclusive interview process, suggesting that "all eligible applicants be called for interviews instead of extensive shortlisting and scrutiny at the initial stage." This approach aims to prevent any eligible candidate from feeling excluded and provides interview panels with a richer pool of talent. The scale of the crisis was recently highlighted in the Odisha Legislative Assembly by the Mohan Charan Majhi Government.
Against 2,081 sanctioned teaching posts, a staggering 1,441 positions remain unfilled across 17 public universities. To cope with this massive shortage, the universities have been relying on 825 guest faculties to keep academic activities running. Individual universities are particularly feeling the pinch.
Utkal University, one of Odisha's largest, reports 141 vacancies out of 244 sanctioned posts, a vacancy rate of 57.78%.
Ravenshaw University, the state's oldest, faces a similar challenge with 167 of its 267 sanctioned posts lying vacant.
Even universities like Madhusudan Law University, Odisha State Open University, Khalikote Unitary University, and Dharanidhar University are grappling with substantial permanent vacancies.
For instance, Dharanidhar University, located in the Chief Minister's home constituency, has 106 empty posts out of 128, managing primarily with 68 guest faculties. Beyond recruitment, Governor Kambhampati also engaged with universities regarding their accreditation pursuits and proposed a unified tenure system for Vice-Chancellors across all public universities to ensure consistency.
This comprehensive approach underscores a strong commitment to strengthening higher education in Odisha.
