Bhubaneswar: As many as 69,369 teaching posts are lying vacant in government-run schools and colleges across Odisha, School and Mass Education Minister Samir Ranjan Dash told Odisha Assembly Wednesday.
Replying to a question of MLA Amar Satpathy during the Questions Hour, Dash said that 68,362 of the total vacant posts belong to primary, upper primary and secondary schools alone.
While 14,125 of the 38,926 sanctioned secondary school teaching posts are lying vacant, as many as 54,237 teaching positions are unfilled at primary and upper primary schools against a sanctioned strength of 1,35,656.
“For primary schools, assistant teachers (Level-V, A) are being appointed while other posts are being filled up through promotion. Besides, contractual teaching staff are being appointed for secondary schools through online examinations,” the minister informed.
Higher Education Minister Arun Sahoo responded to another BJD MLA’s question on vacant posts in universities by saying that 1,007 teaching and 1,660 non-teaching staff positions are available at various universities across the state.
According to the data shared by the minister, Ravenshaw has the highest vacancy of 188 teaching posts, followed by 126 each in Utkal University and Rajendra University and 112 in Kalahandi University.
Besides, Rama Devi Womens’ University has 101 vacant posts in teaching category followed by Berhampur (80), Maharaja Sriram Chandra Bhanja Deo University previously known as North Orissa University (76), Gangadhar Meher University (66), Sambalpur University (61), FM University (42) and Shri Jagannath Sanskrit University (29).
In non-teaching category, Utkal University has the highest 679 vacancies, followed by Sambalpur University (377) and Berhampur University (166).
IAN