Cuttack: Ravenshaw University, one of the leading institutes of higher education in state, is going through acute shortage of teaching staff.
The posts of at least 24 professors, 45 associate professors and 103 assistant professors are now lying vacant as the authorities concerned have not appointed a single teaching staff since 2014, sources said.
The state government and the University Grants Commission (UGC) have sanctioned a total of 267 faculty members for Ravenshaw University. At present, the university has only 95 teaching staff, sources added.
It is learnt that the university has only five professors against the approved strength of 29 professors. Similarly, it has only 26 associate professors against the approved strength of 71. This apart, the university authorities have so far appointed only 64 assistant professors against the sanctioned posts of 167.
As many as 14 departments of Ravenshaw University including physics, chemistry, mathematics, statistics, commerce, geography, political science, philosophy, sociology, English and Odia do not have a single professor, said a source.
“The shortage of faculty members has affected classroom teachings and administrative work at Ravenshaw University,” added the source.
Some new faculty members were appointed to Ravenshaw University during the tenure of Debdas Chhotray as vice-chancellor in 2008. Similarly, the university had got some more faculty members during the tenure of vice-chacellor Vaishnab Charan Tripathy in 2013.
However, some people had challenged the faculty appointment over some issues in the Orissa High Court.
Sources claimed that the Higher Education Department had written to all state-run universities in Odisha in April this year to initiate measures to fill up all vacant teaching posts. Subsequently, the department had convened a meeting of all vice-chancellors to deliberate on various issues of government-run universities. However, the authorities of Ravenshaw University are yet to initiate any measure to appoint new teaching staff, sources said.
Recently, the university authorities had convened the executive council (EC) meeting to deliberate on various issues. However, there was no discussion with regard to the appointment of faculty members.
When contacted, Vice-Chancellor Ishan Kumar Patro said they would expedite process for appointment of new teaching staff by the end of December. “There are some legal issues over the appointment of faculty members,” he added.